Ties That Bind
by abc79-de
Summary: Trory, third and final installment of the WHW series. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

AN: You asked for it (albeit LONG ago) and I did it (FINALLY). Anyhow, ask for a 4th installment and I'll ignore it, but three, well, how can I say no? J/K. On with the saga. . . For back-story, read What Happens When then Joys of Family.

SET: 16 years after the epilogue of JOF

CHARACTERS: Usual suspects from prior stories plus a few more children that came along. . .

RATING: PG-13 moments mixed w/this 3rd helping of Trory fluff.

"Ella! NOW!" Rory Dugrey called for the fifth time.

"Just. A. Second. Mother!" came the harassed tone from upstairs in the vicinity of the 17-year-old's room.

Rory rolled her eyes, making a mental note to punish her husband for passing on his past teen-age tendencies on to their daughter. Luckily, she'd known how to deal with him then and her lovely daughter now.

"Three more seconds and I cut off your phone privileges all weekend!"

_One-one thousand, two-one_—a very put out but seemingly ready to depart girl appeared in front of her. Just at that moment, Tristan re-entered the house.

"Perfect timing," he kissed the top of his daughter's head.

He watched in confusion as Ella gave her mother the most angelic smile in her repertoire and went to join her brother in the backseat of the car.

"Problem?" he chuckled as he could practically feel the steam coming off of his wife's ears as he pulled her into an embrace.

"I hate teenagers," she sighed before following him out of the house. He took the time right there on the steps of their front porch to purposefully kiss her until every thought escaped her body; save for how amazing it felt when he soothed her bottom lip with his tongue after pulling it open with his teeth.

"EW!" Jake groaned.

"GOD! Get in the car, people will see you!" Ella instructed from the car.

"Me, too," Tristan agreed with Rory, though his eyes were gleaming with lust that still filled him. Reluctantly, he moved to open Rory's door for her before getting into the drivers side himself.

And with that, the Dugreys began the pilgrimage from White Plains to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving. Also in attendance, as per tradition, would be the Mariano, Melville and Danes clans. The amount of potential teenage angst was enough to unhinge the sanest of people. Rory felt that having two was quite enough. Ella seemed to think that going away for four days was a personal attack on her social life. She took Tristan's hand and glanced in the rearview mirror. She couldn't help but smile at her scowling daughter who was text messaging someone on her cell phone that Tristan had assured her he was buying for her, 'in case of emergencies'. Rory rolled her eyes at the thought, wondering if she were spelling out her sob story of being forced into hanging out with her relatives or lining up a prospective date for their return.

Ella was a replica of Rory—long golden brown hair, with piercing blue eyes. Unfortunately, she had inherited her father's social skills and charm. Over the last two years, Tristan had threatened most of the male population of Ella's private school, knowing exactly what these boys wanted from his beautiful baby daughter. Rory laughed at him and called it Chilton's Revenge.

Jacob, now 15 and insisting on being called Jake, shared his mother's more reserved nature and her fascination for knowledge. Ella claimed this made him a geek, which contributed to most of the sibling scuffles in their house of late. Jake looked like Tristan, from back in his Chilton days, especially when he had his private school uniform on. Jake loved school, and tried to steer as clear as he could from Ella and her popular friends. Mainly he hung out with Ambrose Mariano in the library or under the bleachers at the stadium at lunch.

Sitting amongst gridlock holiday traffic in New York City, Erin Mariano turned up the music to drown out the honking and yells that surrounded the air around their car, seeping in through the vents she guessed. Jess sat obliviously next to her, reading. She couldn't complain—he'd won the coin toss after all. He had to deal with any child crisis during the trip as per the arrangement they'd always had, but she decided this was no longer a fair trade off as both Ambrose and Juliet were self-sufficient and had books of their own to focus on. She sighed and tapped her left foot to the beat.

Lorelai Danes ran up to the front door of her house hurriedly; coat, purse and a large paper sack all held to her torso with one arm as she tried to free her key form the lock.

"GAH!" she exclaimed, kicking the door.

"Lorelai –hey! Stop that! You just have to push the door back while jiggling the key," Luke reminded her, retrieving her keys from her as he demonstrated then shut the door behind them.

"That would require me using two hands," she stated disbelievingly.

"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his wife.

"When've you ever seen me with two free hands upon arriving home?" she arched an eyebrow of her own back at him.

"I'll look at it later," he consented, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you. Is Will here?" she asked, following him into the kitchen with the paper bag.

"He's helping Sookie's bunch bring food over," he shook his head.

"Hmm," she thought for a moment. "He didn't mention Bree, did he?"

"You made a rhyme," Luke mocked her until he saw her non-playful expression. "No, no mention of her."

Lorelai nodded, hoping Will was really done with her once and for all. Bree had been his high school sweetheart. She herself had more than approved of the relationship and was thrilled when Will told his parents that he was thinking of proposing this Christmas. Unfortunately, when Bree came back this fall from a summer abroad in England, she hadn't been alone. She had become pregnant by another student from her program she'd had a fling with over the summer, and confessed to Will about two months ago when she'd discovered that she was indeed pregnant. Will, devastated, moved out of the apartment they shared in New Haven and in with Davey Melville in Stars Hollow, opting to commute to his classes at Yale University. Bree had called him for a while, trying to get him to come back to her but he had too much of his parents in him to get over her betrayal.

"He's going to be okay," Luke said softly, pulling her gently by the arm until she moved into him.

"I hope so," she gave a smile and leaned against her husband's strong frame.

"So, what's in the bag?" he asked to change the subject to a lighter one he hoped.

"Well, I was checking in at work, when suddenly, it hit me what we'd forgotten."

He furrowed his brow, knowing each last detail had been covered and rechecked for the upcoming weekend. Then he saw the glint in her eye.

"Chocolate turkeys," she smiled broadly, opening the back for his inspection.

Rolling his eyes, he turned his attention back to the stove and the real Thanksgiving food he was preparing.

Will helped Davey carry out dozens of covered trays to the back of the Melville Party Wagon, as Davey referred to his parents' Suburban that they'd upgraded to when Sookie was pregnant with Lia. They leaned back against the bumper, waiting in the brisk air for the others to join them.

"So, you heard from her again? God, she doesn't get it, does she?" Davey asked in disbelief.

Will shook his head, " I just wish she'd stop. She's just scared, I mean, she's pregnant, alone, and her dad disowned her when he found out. Plus it's the holidays."

Davey looked at his friend in amazement, "You seem so calm and rational about this, man."

Will shrugged. "I figure she did me a favor. Saved me a few fucking grand," he said off-handedly. Just then, Anna Melville emerged from the house, jumped into the Suburban and slammed the door behind her.

"What's with her?" Will asked his best friend.

"Don't ask. Trust me," he informed Will as his parents and two younger siblings, Billy and Lia, joined them all ready for the short trip to Lorelai and Luke's house.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Someone asked for a character list and age list for the kids. . . good idea. I had made one to keep it clear in my mind, lol, so here you go. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and for those of you where were so supportive of the trilogy. This chapter was revised slightly--Des06 you were right, lol, it's been a while since I've done the whole apply to college thing. I was thinking Early Decision was sooner than it was, but I checked and Ella shouldn't know til early December if she made the first cut. . . Thanks :) Now it makes more sense, hopefully.

Luke and Lorelai: Will (21)

Rory and Tristan: Ella (17) and Jacob (15)

Jess and Erin: Ambrose (15) and Juliet (14)

Sookie and Jackson: Davey (23), Anna (21), Billy (18), and Lia (16)

Chapter 2

Lorelai opened the door when she heard the car outside, seeing her best friend jumping out of the Party Wagon and hurriedly shouting instructions at her children to get all the food and supplies set up properly in the kitchen. They all offered greetings to their 'Aunt' Lorelai as they filed in, and finally Will came before his mother holding a large stack of trays.

"Hey, Mom," he kissed her cheek as she shut the door behind him.

"Hey, honey," she smiled, turning and looking at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. How's Br--," she started but was cut off quickly.

"Don't say it Mom," he warned.

"How's bringing over the food going?" she made a face as she tried to cover her motherly questioning.

"Smooth, Mom, smooth," he shook his head, turning to go into the kitchen.

"We're talking about this later," she called after him.

"Whatever," he muttered.

Luke looked up from his rearranging of the kitchen to accommodate the large load the Melville family was dragging in. He saw his son moving through, Lorelai hot on his heels and his 'please make Mom stop' face pleading with him.

"Hey, Will," he nodded, "Give me a hand here, will you?" he added to try to keep Lorelai's probing away from him for a bit longer.

"Sure, Dad," he said gratefully, not caring what task his father had in store for him. He was hoping it was an errand of some kind.

"So, Anna, you excited for your last semester of college?" Lorelai asked, realizing Will was a lost cause, for now at least.

"Uh, sure, Aunt Lorelai," she said distractedly before excusing herself to the restroom.

"Did I say something?" she asked Sookie.

Sookie made a face and looked in the direction that her daughter had skulked off to. "Oh, it's not you. She's been in a weird mood since she got back from school yesterday."

"School not going well?" Lorelai asked concerned.

"Probably just PMS," Billy offered, which earned him a smack on the arm from his younger sister, Lia.

"Pig," she muttered.

"It seems to be that time for everyone," he added before jogging out of her reach and back out the front door. He'd wait in safety on the porch for the others.

"Do you know what's going on?" Sookie asked Lia.

"Nope, no clue. She won't talk, but I did hear her crying last night," she shrugged.

"Hmm," Sookie turned and looked at Lorelai.

"Maybe being with everyone will help her, she'll seek out some advice. Maybe she'll confide in me or Rory. She likes Rory," she added, smiling positively at her friend.

"Maybe," she sighed, turning her attention over to Jackson, who was cutting up zucchini.

"What are you doing?" she asked, moving over to stop him immediately.

"Sookie, calm down. I'm just," he started.

"We agreed that you weren't going to cook! I'm the chef, it's bad enough that I have to let Luke make some of the things!"

"Hey! I'm RIGHT here!" Luke protested.

"Sorry, Luke! Jackson--," she whined.

"No, I want zucchini bread, and I'm going to make it!"

"But it's not a Thanksgiving food. It's like fried turkey," she added.

"ARGH! Not again with the fried turkey! Everyone LOVED the fried turkey!"

"Not everyone!" she countered, raising her hand in the air.

They continued to argue, oblivious to everyone else in the room. It was only when a new voice appeared from at the back door did the arguing stop.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Rory poked her head in the door, smiling at those already gathered.

"Rory!" Lorelai called happily, hugging her daughter. "Where are my grandbabies?" she asked, moving to hug Tristan who was right behind her.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I'm sure they'll be along shortly."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, they're just being . . . teenagers," she said the last word as if it contained only four letters and left a bad taste in her mouth.

Lorelai laughed, and even Will smiled at his sister's frustrations. Rory moved over to greet Luke and Will as Tristan reopened the door for his daughter.

"Hey, Will! How's Yale?" Rory asked him excitedly.

"It's good. Finally my last semester, for sure this time," he laughed. Will had taken a semester off from school after high school, much to everyone's chagrin, using the money his grandparents left him to travel around Europe. Luke and Lorelai had accompanied him for three weeks, but Will stayed for a total of three months, then came back and earned some money before heading off to Yale in his older sister and grandfather's footsteps. After changing his major after the first two years from pre-law (because of his excellent debating skills inherent from the Gilmore side) to business (because his father's years of passing on his love for owning his own business evidently had rubbed off) he was now close to finishing his degree.

"Ella!" Lorelai hugged her granddaughter, who managed a smile despite her overall distaste for the small town and lack of things to do. She did love Grandma Lorelai; she made the trip to the sticks worth it. She made her rounds of hellos; always polite as was the way she was raised. These people were who she'd been raised with, and as much as she hated being away from her friends and social life that the city offered—she did enjoy seeing everyone together.

"Ella, why don't you help Will and go back out to Sookie's car and get the rest of their stuff?" Luke suggested. The two headed out immediately, leaving the adults alone in the kitchen.

"Where's Jacob?" Luke asked Rory.

"Uh, it's Jake now," Tristan sighed.

"Really?" Lorelai laughed.

"Yep. And I think he ran into Billy out front," Rory told them.

"Kids getting to you?" Lorelai hugged her daughter.

"Jake's fine, it's just Ella, she's. . . very social," she said diplomatically.

"Social? As in makes friends easily or needs special medicines that they overly play ads for with people riding bikes through meadows on television?" Lorelai raised an eyebrow.

"Mom!" Rory chastised.

"Lorelai!" Tristan shot her a look to show his distaste.

"Well!"

"She just thinks coming out here is going to somehow disrupt her entire schedule with her friends for the whole year," Rory explained.

"Ah, give me a couple hours—some of Sookie's sweet potato pie, the first two airings of 'A Christmas Story' marathon to kick off the holiday season—and if we're lucky the first snow walk of the year. I thought I smelled something when I came home from the market," she winked at her daughter.

"For the last time, you can't smell snow," Luke reminded her.

"Correction—YOU can't smell snow," she pointed at him.

"Are you still having this argument?" came a tired sounding voice from the back door.

"Jess! Erin!" Rory smiled warmly.

"Still using the back door? Well, I guess it's a step up from Rory's old bedroom window, but seriously, one day, use the front door," Lorelai chided him.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Lorelai," Jess shook his head, moving to give his uncle a hug. "Where are the kids?"

"We sent them down to the homeless shelter in Hartford. More pie for us," Lorelai informed him sardonically.

Jess shook his head as Erin laughed, which set off a chain reaction of Lorelai sticking her tongue out at Jess. Juliet came into the kitchen, book still in hand and leaned against her dad.

"Jules, I think the others are out on the front porch," Luke informed her, as all the other kids had found other places to go.

"Oh, yeah. Ambrose went around to see Billy and Jake," she shrugged.

"Jules, if you want, you can read in Will's old room. We have about an hour 'til everything's ready," Lorelai told her.

Juliet smiled gratefully and headed into the room, shutting the door behind her. Erin smiled at Lorelai and thanked her.

"She's gotten really shy since she started high school, I don't get it," she shook her head.

"Probably a hold over from her father being such a loner when he was her age," Luke raised an eyebrow as he spoke, and gave a real smile Jess' direction.

"She'll be fine—it took Rory a while to adjust to Chilton," Lorelai said with a mother's authority.

"Rory had a hard time because some people couldn't remember her name," Rory said, poking Tristan playfully.

"Mar--," came his response, until she poked him in the ribs with a wooden spatula, "Ow! Vicious," he said a little too happily.

"Okay, everyone who isn't cooking, out to the living room!" Luke ordered, causing Lorelai to move to the front room, though pouting for effect. Rory bounced after her, pulling Tristan along with her. Jess offered to stay and help Luke, while Sookie continued to nag Jackson to leave the cooking to her and give up the zucchini bread.

Outside, Will and Ella caught up while sitting on the bumper of Sookie's Suburban. There had been no extra stuff left, as Will knew full well, but decided to play along with Luke's suggestion to get out of the growing crowd of adults. Though Will was now 21, and Davey 23, they still didn't feel like adults.

"Where did Davey go?" Ella asked, noticing he was the only 'kid' missing. All the other boys were up on the front porch of her grandmother's house, and she figured Juliet was hiding somewhere with a book. Just like her brother, she thought.

"I'm guessing he had an errand run," he said knowingly.

"Ooh, Davey's got a girl?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that. Just, keep it to yourself," he instructed, pointing a finger at his niece.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know," he said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Will, you live with him, you have to know," she countered.

"He always goes to see her. I'm beginning to wonder if she's real or fictional," he laughed.

"What about you?" she asked, her voice softening. She'd heard all about her uncle's tumultuous relationship from her mother, and she felt badly. Will was the most decent guy in the whole world, and deserved so much better than what Bree had done to him.

"I'm fine. Who's new on your rotation?" he nudged her a little.

"No one special," she smiled.

"Huh. Well, who ever it is that comes along next, I have to okay him, you know this, right?"

"Right. I just can't wait 'til college," she sighed happily.

"Ah, big decision time," he nodded.

"Yeah. Mom wants me to choose Yale, as I'm a legacy," she leaned her head to one side.

"Of course," he said naturally.

"Dad wants me to look at UNC," she leaned her head to the other side.

"UNC?"

"He went there for a year. He loved it," she sighed.

"I thought Tristan went to Yale," he said confused.

"He graduated from Yale—he transferred there to be with Mom," she explained.

"Weird. That so—doesn't sound like Tristan. Especially the way Mom makes him sound in old stories," he laughed.

"Anyway, I also applied for Early Decision to Princeton, Sarah Lawrence, and Harvard," she said with finality.

"No clue where you want to go?"

"None."

He looked at her and opened his mouth, but closed it again. She gave him a look and waited expectantly.

"What?"

"You could . . . make a pro/con list," he suggested, knowing her mother's lists made her crazy.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

"What else are you going to do? Rock, paper, scissors? Flip a coin? Roll a die?"

"All options. . . maybe I won't get into some of them," she countered.

"Right, good luck with that."

She sat back and enjoyed the cool autumn air hitting her face and weaving through her long brown hair.

"Hey, guys," Billy Melville came up to the two, standing in front of them. He was the same year as Ella in school, a high school senior, though he attended Stars Hollow High, while she went to a fancy private school in New York City. He had reddish blonde hair and hazel eyes, Ella noticed for the first time that he finally looked more grown up instead of the awkward gangly phase he'd been going through the last three years. His shoulders had broadened, and his jaw more square and set. She gave him a faint smile.

"Hey, Billy," she said.

"Hey, man."

"Where'd Davey go?" he asked Will, still looking at Ella who was as breathtaking as ever. He'd always had a crush on her, since they were four and she lifted up her skirt in the sandbox in front of him.

"Errand. We should all probably get back inside," he said, noticing the way Billy was looking at Ella.

"Right. I'll go get the other boys," Ella said, moving away from the bumper, smiling at Billy, not giving even the faintest of a blush. They two guys watched her stroll up to the front porch, and interrupt the discussion her brother and Ambrose were having with Lia and Juliet who had just joined them. After Ella spoke, they all made their way inside.

"Please tell me you aren't thinking about how hot my niece is," Will warned him.

Billy cringed and visibly tensed. "No, man, not at all."

"What were you thinking, then?" Will tried to hide his amusement.

"Uh, you know, Thanksgiving stuff. Turkeys, wishbones, you know," he coughed, as Will patted him hard on the back and they made their way to the house again.

AN: Sorry the updates are taking a while. I just got my request for the Fall Trory ficathon, and my mind is swimming with those ideas, and we're boxing up the house now for the move. Luckily for you guys, though, I'm cheating and writing when I should be packing :)


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Except for any extra names that you don't recognize from the show. . . those I 'created'. Read WHW and JOF to get back story.

AN: I'm looking for a beta for a Trory fall exchange fic, please email me if you can do it. . . thanks! Amy

Davey walked over to where his sister was apart from the rest of the crowd, sitting on the staircase. Anna looked up at him and looked away quickly.

"Hey," he said nonchalantly.

"Hey, Davey."

"What's with the solo act?" he asked, nudging her shoulder with his own as he sat next to her.

"What's with the question act?" she mocked him.

"Come on, you've been weird since you got home. How's school?"

"School's fine, Dave," she sighed.

"Guy troubles?"

"No, Dave," she sighed again, hoping he'd get the point and drop the questions. But older brothers aren't good at letting things go without answers.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I can go get Mom into this," he reminded her.

"Davey, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"You aren't fine. Come on," he said, pulling her up and leading her up the stairs. They went into Luke and Lorelai's room, where all the coats were piled on the bed. When they were little, all the kids would be put up in this bedroom during all the adult parties to play games and watch movies while their parents had the town over. Davey pointed to the bed and motioned for his sister to sit.

"Come on, tell me what is wrong with you," he insisted, his face full of concern.

Anna looked down at her hands in her lap, and moved her ring around on her middle finger. She'd been trying to ignore it herself; she wasn't ready to talk to anyone else about it. Obviously hiding the fact that something was wrong wasn't happening.

"Ann?" he said, sitting next to her.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"Guys?" Will's voice came softly from the doorway. He could see he'd obviously interrupted some sort of heavy moment. Anna looked like she might burst into tears at any time, and he'd never seen Davey look so serious. He moved in and sat next to Anna, on her other side.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, guys, when I'm ready to talk about it, I will. I just, can't right now," she pleaded, wiping tears away quickly with her hand.

Davey nodded, and stood up. "Just, come find me if you need me," he said, looking from his sister to his friend before leaving the room and going downstairs to join the mass of people.

Will never moved a muscle; he just waited for Anna to say something else. He wasn't completely sure she wouldn't say something now that Davey was gone. Though the siblings were close, sometimes Anna felt more comfortable telling Will things. They'd known each other their entire lives.

"Anna, why didn't you tell me what was going on? I've talked to you four times in the last week, and you haven't mentioned anything," he reminded her.

"Will—I," she started to talk, but the tears caught up with her. She began to cry harder, her shoulders visibly shaking. Will moved to put an arm around her and she turned to bury her face in his shoulder. He moved a hand over her back soothingly, letting her cry. If he'd learned anything from his father, it was to be quiet and let women cry. Nothing he could say would help, and patting their backs was much more effective in comforting them. Bree always told him that he was the best at comforting girls, and she always felt safe with him. He quickly squelched the feeling of anger he felt for even letting himself think of her.

"I can't even believe what happened," she managed, before the tears came again.

Downstairs, Lorelai was passing out the chocolate turkeys to all the 'kids', including Rory, Tristan, Erin and Jess. Luke called from the kitchen not to hand them out now and ruin appetites, but it was too late. She walked back into the kitchen, holding the empty paper bag upside down.

"Whoops," she said, holding her free hand up to her mouth.

Luke gave her a stern look, and she shook her head as she walked up to him.

"You don't understand, they attacked me, they demanded the chocolate, then they tore the bag out of my hands, screaming, 'Give us Chocolate Turkeys or give us Death!'!" she began to explain.

"Uh-huh," he shook his head at her, drawing her close to him.

"Rory started it. You know, you'd think being a mother would make her more mature, a good influence, but man," she smiled at her husband.

"It must be nice," Luke mused, throwing Lorelai into confusion at the look on his face.

"What must be nice?" she asked hesitantly.

"Living in your reality," he kissed her cheek. She swatted at him, but he caught her around the waist.

"Oh, but honey, you do," she laughed with him.

Tristan walked out the front door to find Rory sitting alone with a cup of coffee. She had one leg drawn up to her chest, the other hanging down loosely scraping the wood underneath her.

"Where'd you get coffee?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"We're at Lorelai's. There's always coffee. Especially since Luke moved in," she smiled, taking another sip.

"Everyone else is inside," he leaned back, allowing her to scoot over and use his chest as a pillow to rest against.

"I know, it's nice to get a breather before ingesting all that food," she reminded him. He knew from all these years of marriage that holidays didn't just include food—they were more like marathon eating events. The men had no chance, as the Gilmore women could put even the biggest man to shame.

"Why are you really out here?" he asked, taking her cup from her to take a drink of the warm liquid himself.

"I was thinking about Ella," she admitted.

"What about her?"

"College."

"We haven't heard anything yet, that's normal," he reminded her. "It's early."

"I know, but did you see where she applied?"

"I was there when you checked through her envelopes, yes," he reminded her.

"I wanted to make sure Yale was in the mix," Rory said sheepishly.

"It won't be the end of the world if she doesn't go to Yale."

"You really want her to be all the way in North Carolina?"

"It's not that far—and we could go visit her, have some fun of our own," he wrapped his arm tighter around her, causing her to smile knowingly.

"How you make where our kid goes to college about us having sex, I will never understand," she giggled.

"Ah, as long as it works," he smiled.

"But what if she--," Rory started again.

"Hey, she'll be fine. She's a smart kid," he reminded her.

"Yeah," Rory agreed.

"Ready to go back in?"

"Do we have to?"

"Well, I'm on fatherly duty. Did you see how Billy was looking at Ella?" he turned to see what he could see through the living room windows.

Rory giggled. "Billy Melville? Tristan, come on," she sighed.

"What? It's true!" he insisted.

"Just, be quiet and kiss me," she said, moving his face gently with her hand, and guided it to her lips.

Inside, amidst all the chatter and craziness, Lia and Jules were hanging out in Will's old room, as the food still wasn't ready. Jules hadn't spent as much time with the Melville clan as Jess and Erin really only came up to Stars Hollow with the kids for special occasions—graduations, weddings, funerals and holidays. Her dad came up a lot to have the occasional dinner with Luke, or to meet up with Will, but she and Ambrose spent a lot more time with Ella and Jake. They all attended the same school in the city, and though they weren't blood related (except sort of by Will) Rory and Jess acted like brother and sister, so they had always referred to Rory as their aunt. Lia was someone she'd always known, but as they were both now teenagers in high school, they finally had something in common.

"So, what's your school like?" Lia asked Jules. Though two years old than her, she was impressed at the school the New York kids got to attend.

Jules shrugged. "It's okay," she played with the spine of her book.

"It has to be amazing—much better than Stars Hollow High."

"It's just a bunch of rich kids in uniforms," Jules told her.

"But to get to go to a private school—everyone's there to learn and uniforms means no one judges you based on your clothes," Lia pointed out.

Jules gave a stifled laugh, "Yeah, except most of the kids that go there are forced to by their parents, who also went there or to a school just like it, and since the clothes are the same, you're judged by what kind of car you drive and who gave the best party," she informed the other girl.

"But you don't have a car," she said.

"I'm not that popular at school," she pointed out.

"What about Ambrose?"

"He hangs out with Jake, and a few other guys. They have their own clique, but they aren't stuck up or anything. They're into books and they do obnoxious things sometimes," she explained.

"Like what?"

"Like taking apart teachers' cars and reassembling them in the lunch room, changing out the school flag to one with an anarchy symbol, stupid stuff."

"Nice," Lia commented.

"Stuff like that happens here, though, too right?"

"Well, on a smaller scale. People usually trying to piss off Kirk Gleason," she giggled. Kirk, who had become town magistrate after Taylor Doose passed away a few years ago, tried to uphold all of Taylor's rulings of the town. This includes overseeing uniform grass height, running town meetings, creating more reasons to have town festivals.

"So, what do you think of Jake?" Lia asked Jules, after a lull in the conversation.

"Jake Dugrey?"

"Yeah," Lia nodded, wondering what other Jake they could both know.

"I don't know, I guess I never thought about it, I mean he's just one of my brother's friends," she informed her.

"Wanna know a secret?" Lia leaned closer to Jules.

"Of course," she leaned closer too.

"My brother has a crush on Ella," she giggled.

"Oh, God, good luck to him," she rolled her eyes. "I like Ella, but she's way out of his league. I mean, she runs with the most popular kids in New York," she explained.

"Yeah, I've told him to give that dream up, he's been in love with her since we were tiny," she let her giggling taper off.

"Well, that's so not going to happen," Jules agreed.

"FOOD!" came Luke's booming voice from the kitchen. Jules and Lia jumped up, as they were right off the kitchen in bedroom and joined the whole bunch that was slowly making their way in to graze for the first time over the tons of good food.

Lorelai looked over the crowd, making sure everyone was accounted for and getting food. She realized Rory, Tristan, Will and Anna were MIA. She smiled as Rory came in the front door, wrapped happily around Tristan. They walked past her and grabbed plates, as she heard Jess make a comment to make way as the reigning eating champion was stepping up to bat. She herself only made her way to the end of the line as she saw Will and Anna coming down the stairs.

"Hey, you two!" she smiled warmly. "I had chocolate turkeys for you, but Ambrose and Jake bought me off," she joked.

"Gee, thanks, Mom. Where's the love?" he joked back as he gave his mother a big hug. Will wasn't the biggest hugger, taking after his father, but he was more inclined to do it with Lorelai. Will had always been a bit of a momma's boy. Not to the effect of being annoying, but it was always her he went to when he was truly upset or hurt.

"Well, I might have an extra one stashed in my nightstand," she said, hugging her son back.

"That's the mom I love," he let go of her and they moved to grab plates next to the others whose plates were being mounded down with turkey (baked, not fried,), potatoes (sweet and mashed), cranberry sauce (two kinds—fancy homemade from Sookie and out of a can from Luke) and every other holiday food known to man. Including Jackson at the other end of the buffet, cutting into his homemade zucchini bread.

AN2: Sorry about the speed of updating! I have been thinking about this story at work, but I have no way of writing anything down at work! The good news is we're moving into the new house next week, and everything will be getting back to normal soon, and I can write more regularly. Hope you enjoyed this installment!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Except for any extra names that you don't recognize from the show. . . those I 'created'. Read WHW and JOF to get back story.

AN: AHH! I was watching the last eppy (Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too—yes, it's been awhile since I've updated) and I saw that Jackson and Sookie's last name is Bellville? WHAT? Where did I get Melville? I thought I saw it that way on the show credits or something. I must be crazy, but I am NOT going back through this whole saga and changing it, so my creative license from here on out decrees their new name as Melville. With three L's, not four, lol.

While the rest of the group was recovering from their overindulgment, laying strewn about the house, Rory and Lorelai found themselves alone in the kitchen picking over the untouched remains of dinner. Each on their now uncountable number cup of coffee, Rory was attempting to make a turkey sandwich by placing turkey between two halves of a roll, and topping it with some stuffing and smearing cranberry sauce as a condiment. Lorelai looked at her daughter's concoction and nodded in awe.

"Nice," Lorelai commented.

"Thanks," Rory said before taking a bite.

"Pregnant again?"

"Funny," she said with a full mouth of food.

"Hey, you're the one eating that."

"It's not like I used the zucchini bread instead of a roll," Rory pointed out.

"True 'dat," Lorelai mocked her.

"How come we're the last ones eating every year?"

"It's a real learning curve, it'll take years longer for these people to keep up with us," she said, turning to look into the living room. Luke was sitting passed out with his head back against the back of the couch with Jules, Lia, and Ella all sprawled out over him while they watched television. The boys had mostly sprawled out on the floor, watching whatever the girls had landed on when their fingers got too tired from pushing the channel button. "Besides, it's one of the rare times you and I get to be alone," she added.

"Yeah," Rory said happily.

"Where'd Tristan skulk off to?"

"Oh, he and Jess headed out to town to get something," she said.

"What about Erin?"

"Erin is in Will's old room," Rory said, pointing to the door.

"So, if Erin is in Will's room, where is Will?"

"I saw him and Anna head out the back door a while ago," Rory shrugged.

"She didn't eat much," Lorelai commented.

"No, she didn't," Sookie came up behind the table, sounding worried.

"She hasn't said anything?" Rory said, putting her hand on Sookie's arm.

"No, she won't talk," Sookie said, moving to look out the kitchen window.

"She will, just give her time. She's been bombarded with the family and all that since she's been home."

"Lorelai, you know how she is. She keeps everything in, we're not like you and Rory," Sookie worried.

"Well, no one is," Lorelai smiled at her daughter.

"Sook, even Ella and I aren't as tight as mom and I," Rory reassured her.

"I just want her to be happy again," she said as she slumped into a chair and began to fork at a pie absently. Lorelai and Rory exchanged a look as they all continued to eat, now in silence.

Smoke billowed up in the air over the lake, hanging for a moment over the two men before moving away over the water. As their legs dangled over the edge, just inches from the top of the water, they sat in silence and enjoyed their annual post-gorge smoke.

"Think anyone realizes we do this every year?" Tristan asked, looking for a moment at the cigarette in his hand.

"Dunno," Jess mumbled, taking another drag from his own cigarette.

"More like, don't care," Tristan smirked.

"Yep."

"I think Rory knows," came the contemplative continuation.

Jess looked at him, and smirked before shaking his head at his friend.

"What?"

"She so has you," he laughed.

"Erin doesn't know we do this? We go out for 'something' every year in a town where everything is closed down on Thanksgiving Day, and come back empty handed," Tristan laughed.

"Hey, they were out of 'it'," Jess pointed to Tristan, reminding him of the story they muttered the first year when Lorelai had called them on the fact that their shopping venture was unsuccessful.

"Damn straight," Tristan agreed, "Seriously, Erin never called you on it?"

"Did Rory say something to you?"

"No, I just think she knows," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Just smoke your cigarette," Jess mumbled as he lit up another one.

The town streets were nearly deserted, as most everyone was at their holiday destinations by now, or out on the interstates to get there. Will and Anna strolled along silently, admittedly walking off dinner—though Will knew Anna had barely eaten a thing. He was just hoping she'd get whatever was bothering her off her chest soon. She slowed down and he tried to walk slowly, focusing on kicking leaves out of his path as he shuffled along beside her.

"Thanks for taking a walk," she said suddenly, almost scaring him it was so unexpected. They'd been in silence for almost fifteen minutes at this point.

"No problem. Your mom's food always makes me feel like I need to run about a million miles after I eat it," he joked with her.

"I think she's surprised that none of us have an interest in being a chef."

"You can all cook, though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, we just sort of picked it up, I guess."

They were reimmersed in silence for a moment, as they rounded the town square for the second time. Will began to think of more places to walk around to delay their going home and the possibility of her shutting whatever was bothering her inside even longer.

"Can we sit for a sec?" she said, moving towards the gazebo.

"Oh, uh, sure," he followed quickly, noting her pace was more determined now.

Looking at her now, she suddenly looked smaller somehow, he wasn't sure if she were frightened or sad. Perhaps a mixture of both, he thought as she looked like she would speak at any time now.

"Last weekend, I went to the library on Saturday night to get work on a paper done before I came home for break," she began. She didn't look at Will, but somewhere out past their old high school. They both had fond memories of high school, usually together with Davey and a few of their close friends. Most of their other friends had faded away as they moved on to college, but the nature of the familial ties that Will had with Davey and Anna made it almost impossible for that to happen. They'd all gone to separate universities, but they talked daily. Especially now that Will had moved in with Davey.

"I stayed later than I should have, but I'd prepped myself with about four triple espressos, and I was so happy to get the paper done—anyway, I headed back to my apartment pretty late. I'd done it several other times, and the funny thing is I'd never thought of calling the campus escort service to walk me home before, but it flitted through my mind as I left the library," she shook her head almost as if she were trying to get the thought out of her head altogether.

"Anna," Will started, but she held her hand up for him to stop.

"Just, let me get this out, Will, please?"

He nodded, allowing her to go on uninterrupted. He didn't like the sound of where this was going, not at all.

"I was about two blocks from home, and this guy just appeared out of nowhere. I thought he was going to mug me, he took my money and asked for my jewelry, but I wasn't wearing any," her voice cracked a little as she remembered the events too well as she retold them, "So he grabbed me and forced me off the sidewalk and into some bushes."

Her voice seemed to give out at this point as the tears came over her. Will didn't need to hear anymore, he had the sick feeling in his stomach as soon as she'd said her first word that something like this had happened. He gently put his arm around her, pulling her fleece-covered frame towards him. She buried her face in his dad's army jacket and let him hold her.

"Will, he--," she tried again.

"Did you go to the police?" he asked, trying not to sound too demanding.

She nodded into his shoulder, not ready to dry her tears, as she could just feel more about to flood her eyes. "They did an exam, something called a rape kit, and I gave a statement," she managed to tell him even though her face was completely embedded in his shoulder.

He kept his arms around her, willing her to feel safe here with him in their hometown. She went to school at Connecticut State, not exactly a metropolis, but it was larger than Stars Hollow. Everything was, it wasn't hard to do.

"They aren't going to find him, I couldn't even see his face. He was wearing one of those ski mask things," she sounded so defeated, and it killed him. He wanted to make this okay for her, but knew in reality he couldn't. All he could do was listen, and from the sounds of it she had done all she could do in the immediate time.

"I'm sure they'll find him, Ann," he soothed her. He knew the answer to the next question, but asked it anyhow.

"Have you told anyone else?"

She shook her head. "Not even my roommate. I know I should tell Mom, but I just can't do that to her. Oh God, she'd tell Dad, and Davey—no, I just can't Will," she teared up yet again at the thought of her family knowing what had happened to her.

"Anna, this isn't your fault, they'd want to be there for you," he tried.

"No, they'd all look at me differently," she shook her head adamantly, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"They know something is wrong."

"But they don't know what. They probably just think I failed an exam or something," she reasoned.

"You aren't walking around like you failed an exam. You're walking around like something serious is going on, and for good reason," he assured her.

"Look, maybe, some day, I'll tell them, but for now, please don't tell anyone Will," she looked into his eyes for the first time since they'd left the house. She had feared what she would see in them; pity, disgust, anger—but all she saw was concern and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. They were bluer than the sky if that were possible.

"I'll do whatever you want, Ann," he said, pulling her back into one more hug before they finally headed back towards the house. He knew it was going to be hard to keep from telling his mom—who would know that he knew something—but he had to as she would surely tell Sookie. If all else failed, he could sacrifice himself for Anna, giving up details to his mother about how Bree had been continuing to call and pursuing to get him back. Lorelai was definitely worried about him and how he was 'holding up' as she had put it. He was coping just fine, as his father would say. Taking it like a man. Drinking beer and throwing darts at her picture with Davey. Besides, his problems with Bree seemed inconsequential compared to what Anna was currently going through.

"What are you thinking about?" he was shaken out of his thoughts as she spoke.

"Oh, just what I'm going to tell Mom about Bree," he shrugged.

"Oh, Will, I'm sorry—God, you have all that going on, and here I am, dumping more stuff on you to worry about," she rambled a bit.

"Hey, hey," he stopped and nudged her arm for her to stop as well. "You aren't dumping anything on me. Bree has no bearing in my life, whereas you always have and always will. Got it?"

She nodded and gave a half smile.

"That's better," he smiled back, "its just Mom is obsessed with making sure I'm okay. I haven't told her about Bree's inability to lose my phone number," he sighed.

"Lorelai will go over to that girl's house," Anna warned him.

"Oh, the 'rent's have been there already," he laughed.

"NO!" she gasped.

"Oh, yeah, leave it to Luke and Lorelai," he shook his head.

"What did they do?"

"Well, Dad yelled, a lot apparently, and Mom kept calling her a hussy—her mom threatened to call the cops if they didn't leave, and Mom threatened to have Bree run out of town. Anyway, Dad must have gotten his brain back, because he dragged Mom out of there before police were involved."

"Nice," she smiled, knowing that the Danes' would do anything for family and friends. One thing the town knew was never to mess with anyone they loved. Neither Luke nor Lorelai had ever been ones to back down.

"Ready to go in?"

"And mention none of our personal woes?"

"Yep."

"Right behind 'ya."


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Except for any extra names that you don't recognize from the show. . . those I 'created'. Read WHW and JOF to get back story.

She walked up the familiar path, well worn from years of people tracing the same steps that she could walk in her sleep. A smile unconsciously covered her features, highlighting the soft lines where laugh lines were beginning to form at the sides of her mouth. Stopping just short of her destination, she put a hand accusingly on her right hip and paused.

"Every damn year," she sighed, trying to sound put out.

"Yep," came the curt agreement.

"So, how is life treating you?" she let out a chuckle as she sat down on the spot on the wooden planks that was still warm from where her husband had left it just moments before.

"Can't complain. Though I did have to go to the principal's office last week," he shook his head.

"Which one?"

"Ambrose."

"What'd he do?" she asked, knowing Ambrose to be a quite studious kid, never one to be much of a troublemaker. Of course, this had stumped the whole family, seeing as he was Jess' offspring. Not only was he Jess' son, her sort nephew of sorts, but also he was one of Jake's best friends.

He sighed, and she could tell he was attempting to suppress a smirk as he began to explain the story. "He and some friends got a hold of the keys to the Dean of Boys' car. Seems they took it apart and reassembled it in the cafeteria."

"Nice," she nodded. "Jake wasn't with them?"

"Someone ratted Ambrose out as the mastermind, seeing as it was evidently his idea and his expertise that was used. No one else was called in."

"So, he's not allowed to help Luke work on the cars on the weekend anymore?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, his eyebrow raised to match hers.

"Erin blames you, correct?" she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder.

He just smiled and shook his head before they began to catch up on what the other kids were doing and how their careers were going. They talked a lot, but it was rare that they got to be alone to talk and reminisce. Not that Jess was big on bringing up the past, but being at the bridge was his kind of reminiscing. Being in familiar places where he had had good times and hanging out with people close to him, that was how he waxed nostalgic.

"No, Ralphie! Don't do it! Didn't anyone ever tell you that you'll shoot your eye out?" Lorelai cried at the television as her granddaughter threw popcorn at the screen.

"Maybe he wants to shoot his eye out, so he won't have to look at that tacky leg lamp," Ella pointed out.

"Nah, he thought that was tres sexy," Lorelai used her best French accent, perfected from years of badgering her Parisian co-worker, Michel. "He just really hated that bunny outfit and now needs to feel manly. What's more manly than a gun?"

"It could be worse. He could be tongue-on-metal-pole-boy," Ella agreed.

"Why must we watch this movie five hundred times on Thanksgiving?" Luke complained, coming back into the living room with Tristan next to him.

"Luke, it's tradition," Lorelai chastised him, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Ella's lap to throw at him.

"It's mind numbing, and it's the third time tonight you've watched it," he came back.

"The kids love it," she said, pointed around as the kids were sprawled about, lying on pillows on the floor as they watched Ralphie go down the big Santa slide at the department store.

"It's pointless," he tried again.

"It's about family togetherness, and it signals the coming of the Holiday season," she said, patting the seat next to her on the couch. Giving up for now and hopeful that he could wrestle the remote from her before it began over again, he sat down next to his wife.

Tristan pulled Ella up and sat down so he could reposition her so she was now sitting on his lap, just as he used do to when she was little. She snuggled up against his shoulder and the group continued to watch the movie. He let his eyes drift for a moment from the screen, secretly loathing the movie as well himself, and noticed that he wasn't the only not paying attention to the screen. Billy Melville was openly watching Ella laugh and mock the film with Lorelai until he noticed he too was being watched. He diverted his eyes and stared very attentively at the screen. Satisfied with his efforts, Tristan glanced once more from the television to the boy, then back to the screen.

Finally feeling a little peckish, Anna was scrounging around in the kitchen, warming up some leftovers in the microwave. She knew there were still a few more hours until the families would head back to their respective houses to pass out, and it was the first time she'd been hungry in days. She felt a certain amount of relief just having someone close to her know what had happened. She took the plate out of the microwave and put a fork into a piece of turkey as she popped it into her mouth.

"Aw, good, you're eating!"

"Hey, Mom," she smiled as her mom hugged her to her while she chewed.

"Feeling better, Sugar Plum?"

"Yeah, I am," she nodded, willing her mother not to worry.

"Good. I'm here, honey, if you want to talk. About anything," she added, as she let go of her daughter.

"Thanks, Mom," she smiled warmly and nodded as she took a bite of stuffing.

Sookie smiled again as left as Davey came into the kitchen and hopped up to sit on the counter next to his sister. Satisfied that someone was around to keep her company, Sookie went off to sit with Jackson and relax a little.

"Hey, Dave, can I sleep on your couch tonight?"

"My couch? You sure?"

"I just think it'll be better than sleeping at home. I just need some time where Mom isn't Mother Hen-ing me to death," she shrugged.

"She's just worried about you," he pointed out.

"I know she means well. I just need some time before I talk to her."

"The couch isn't as comfortable as your own bed," he reasoned.

"Do you not want me over?"

"Nah, come on over. I'm sure Will's fine with it," he assured her.

"Good. Thanks, Davey."

He nodded and eyed her carefully as she put another forkful of food into her mouth. She chewed unconsciously until she realized he was watching her carefully, and her mastication slowed to a stop.

"What?" she said through a half full mouth.

"Did you tell Will what's going on?"

"Stop, Dave," she shook her head, resuming her chewing.

"You did, didn't you?"

"Dave, I don't want to talk about it. End of story."

"This isn't the end of the story," he said as Will came back into the house through the back door. He'd gone out to take out the bags of trash the massive group had created since dinner.

"Hey, guys," he said, rubbing his hands together, trying to warm them up from the cold air.

Anna smiled and carried her plate into the front room to watch the movie with the others. Davey remained on the counter and Will went to get a glass of water. He too, noticed that he was being watched and narrowed his eyes at his friend and roommate.

"What?"

"Anna's sleeping over tonight," he tested him.

"O-kay."

"Where'd you guys go earlier?"

"We took a walk."

"She say anything interesting?"

"Dave," Will sighed, but didn't get to finish as he was interrupted by a knock at the back door. He opened it and crossed his arms angrily.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked as he stared right into the eyes of his ex-girlfriend.

AN: Okay. We are moved. We have our cable modem ordered. For now, I'm still at the library every few days, but hopefully I'll have unlimited access by the end of this week/beginning of this next week. Then I should be able to write more and update way more often. Thanks to everyone who is reviewing, and to those of you still discovering the first two as well.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Except for any extra names that you don't recognize from the show. . . those I 'created'. Read WHW and JOF to get back-story.

Arm securely around his oldest child, Tristan walked slowly up the drive from the car to the main entrance to the Dragonfly Inn. With the expansion of the families, Lorelai kept enough rooms open for both the Dugrey and Mariano families to come and stay comfortably for a few days over the holiday season. With Will off on his own, they could take on a few extra bodies, but everyone was happy staying at the Dragonfly. Tristan told Lorelai long ago that staying at her house seriously cramped his style with Rory, and they needed to have plenty of unsupervised time with no kids. Rory had never seen Luke look more uncomfortable as he did in that moment.

However, at the current moment his thoughts were not of the unspeakable things he would like to do once he got Rory alone in their room. He was thinking instead of how Billy Melville had made a beeline to say goodnight to Ella. Her smile as she bid him a goodnight wasn't something he was ready for. He knew she dated, and Rory had told him he would just have to get over the fact that she was a young woman now. She reminded him that her mother didn't chain her up and let her go out with the likes of Jess and himself when she was Ella's age. He informed her those things didn't make him feel any better about the situation.

"Now, you know what to do if a boy tries something, right?"

"Daddy, stop," she sighed, her attempts to wriggle out of his hold on her waist unsuccessful.

"I'm serious. If a guy came up to you and tried--," he started but she interrupted him.

"Dad, I took self-defense at school. It was my gym requirement, remember?"

"So, if any unwanted attention comes your way," he started again.

"I'd stick my nails in his eye then knee him in the groin," she replied automatically.

"So, you were paying attention in self-defense class?"

"Actually, I did my nails during self-defense."

"So the knowledge comes from?"

"Uncle Jess."

"Huh," he nodded, mentally noting to himself to thank Jess later.

Anna threw more pillows on the couch, knowing that her back was going to be sore for days after sleeping on the dilapidated excuse for furniture. Her bed was sounding more and more inviting, but being around her parents, happy and oblivious to her pain, didn't sound so comforting. Telling them just wasn't an option, so instead, she began unfolding some blankets and trying to make the couch as comfortable as possible.

"You can have my bed. I'm sure my floor will be more comfortable than that thing," came Will's voice from behind her.

"I feel like staying awake anyway. How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, nothing like an ex showing up to brighten the holiday spirit," he joked, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"I've never seen Aunt Lorelai that mad," she commented.

Will snorted. "Did you not see Rory?"

"She has quite a mouth on her, too," she nodded, smiling.

"I just can't believe she thought I'd be dumb enough to want to take her back. I've told her no a jillion times, and it's not going to change. Especially now—really seeing her pregnant just makes it worse, you know?"

"I can't believe she cheated on you—I'll never understand what she was thinking. She can't do better than you," she said like it should be common knowledge.

Will glanced in Anna's direction without turning his head. She caught him looking at her and blushed. A small smile formed on his lips, and her cheeks flamed redder.

"I mean, it's just that you were so good to her, you know," she stammered, trying to make it clear in his mind what she had meant.

"Right, I know," he said softly, still not looking directly at her.

"I wasn't trying to sound like you were the best thing out there, I just meant that you are a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to find someone like you, and she's obviously realized that."

He looked at her after the 'any girl' comment, and he noticed that her blush increased with his gaze fixed on her. He tried to remember the last time he saw her blush, but no instance came to his mind. He smiled as he noticed that the tips of her ears darkened to match her cheeks.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"You want me to stop talking about her?"

"No, it's not that."

"Okay," she nodded, wondering what was going through his head. The evening had been truly interrupted when Bree had shown up. As soon as his defensive tone filled the air, Lorelai and Rory had rushed into the kitchen and stepped in front of him, thus creating a Gilmore barrier between Will and Bree. She told them this was none of their business and that she only wanted to talk to Will. By the time Anna had come back into the kitchen to see what the ruckus was about, Lorelai and Rory were tag-teaming the girl, reeling on about how Will was their business, though he was no longer her business. Words got heated and finally Jess (as Luke and Tristan were busying holding their wives at bay) stepped up and suggested she leave now and go ruin someone else's Thanksgiving. Lorelai led Will into the living room, away from the scene of the crime and let him choose what to watch next. Much to Luke's dismay, he chose A Christmas Story. Again.

"I'll let you get some sleep," he said, standing up from the lumpy couch.

"Oh, right. Night."

She stood up as well and they stood almost awkwardly in front of each other. He reached out and pulled her towards him, hugging her to him briefly. She returned the gesture and they quickly let go. She slumped back down on the couch as he retreated back down the hall to his room.

Creeping downstairs to make himself some tea now that the house was again empty and Lorelai happily asleep, Luke jumped suddenly when he flipped the light switch on to reveal someone already making tea. Jess' head jerked up, as he too was surprised to find someone else up at this hour.

"Jeez," Luke muttered under his breath.

"Sorry," Jess mumbled.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I said sorry," Jess reminded him, going over to the table and resting his hands on the back of a kitchen chair.

"It's fine, just—why are you here instead of the Inn?"

Jess shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"They have tea at the Inn."

"Needed a walk."

"I see," Luke nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jess sighed. Over the years, he's learned to come to Luke for advice. He rarely sought out advice, but when he really needed to talk, it was Luke he went to, for two reasons. Firstly, he would always tell him how it was without all the schmaltzy crap that most people doled out. Secondly, Luke was going to share his thoughts whether or not Jess asked, so it was easier to come to him. Of course, he usually didn't just show up at 2 in the morning.

"I needed some time alone," Jess said, trying to sound unconcerned.

Luke raised an eyebrow, not in the mood for this stuff at this hour. He normally got up early, had for the last few decades, but never had to be articulate at this hour.

"I think Erin and I are in trouble," he sighed, giving up the ghost.

"Sit," Luke commanded, pointing to the table.

"Luke," Jess protested, as if he really didn't want to talk about it. Which part of him didn't. The other part knew better, and he sat down after one sterner look from Luke.

"Talk," came another command.

Jess leaned back in his chair and sighed again. It seemed all he could do at this point. He wasn't quite sure where to start, as it had begun a while ago. He'd wanted to talk to Luke about it the last time he'd come up to visit, but couldn't find the words then.

"I don't know. We're just fighting a lot lately. And not the fight and make up kind, that you guys do," he shot a knowing look at his uncle, "I mean the yell and stay pissed until the next topic for fighting comes along."

"Wow. What are you fighting about?"

"Everything. Money, kids, jobs—it all started a while ago. She got this job offer in California about five months ago."

"California," Luke nodded.

"Yeah. She told me about it, and I probably should have been more open-minded about it, but did she really think we could just drop our lives and move 3000 miles? Ambrose and Jules are in a good school, the kind I never got to go to, you know? They're doing so well, and California—I just can't go back there. She knows all this, but since then we're fighting. We weren't doing it in front of the kids at first, but now we fight all the time, anywhere we are. Jules has gotten pretty quiet, and Ambrose has started getting in trouble at school," he threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "I'm screwing it all up, Luke."

Luke felt for his nephew, knowing he was in a hard situation. He sat down next to Jess and put a hand on his shoulder. "What do you want, Jess?"

"I want to stop fighting," he said plaintively.

"But, with Erin. I mean, is it all about her wanting to move for the job, or are you two. . . ?" he trailed off, insinuating his meaning.

"I don't know. We're not even nice to each other anymore. We're civil, at best."

Luke blew out a held in breath and sat back. "Wow."

"You said that."

"You haven't talked to anyone about this?"

"Tristan. Earlier, a little. I mean, not the whole extent of it."

"You guys should see a counselor, someone unbiased."

"She won't go."

"What?"

Jess rubbed his temples, trying to stay focused and awake. It'd been a long time since he'd gotten a good night's sleep.

"I brought the idea up. She said there's no point."

"No point? This is your marriage. You have kids," he said angrily.

"Luke, shh. You'll wake Lorelai. Just what I need."

"Jess, you guys have to try."

"I'm not sure it's worth it anymore," he said as the whistle blew on the teapot. Luke looked at him one last time before standing to remove the pot before it did wake up Lorelai. He poured two mugs of tea and sat them down on the table, unsure of what to say.

"You look like hell," he finally offered, to which Jess rolled his eyes. "Want to crash in Will's old room?"

Jess nodded, happy for the offer. The two men finished off their tea and retired to bed. Luke wondered how he would explain Jess' presence to Lorelai. He couldn't imagine his marriage falling to pieces as Jess' had—he couldn't imagine staying angry at Lorelai. They'd gotten into their share of fights—even before they'd started dating, and more after they were together. He knew she was the love of his life, and they'd always put their relationship and their family above everything else. For years, he thought that Jess and Erin had done the same thing. The fact that it could fall apart now was heartbreaking, and he hoped they could find some way to be happy together again.

AN: Okay. I think (stops to think about this) that I'm done setting up the introduction to this story. It only took six chapters. Geez, these series of stories get so complicated. For the reviewer who asked about Paris and all, they might make an appearance, but I'm really focused on the Stars Hollow crew and related families. Anyhow, we got our internet (yells happily and claps) so as long as I stay inspired, the story can flow freely from here and onto the net ï 


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Okay, I got my deadline story finished (or mostly finished), leaving me time to solely work on this. Until some other idea flits into my head, I'm sorry to say. Still no internet on the old laptop, but the main computer has it, so yea! Here's the next installment, hope you enjoy!

Lorelai was milling about the kitchen, making her morning coffee. Every once in a great while, Luke didn't wake before she did—thus meaning she didn't awake to the smell of the fresh brew. Usually Luke woke up, started the coffee and hopped in the shower. Today was one of those unusual days. She got a strange satisfaction of waking before the early riser, and hurried downstairs to give him the greeting she loved so much.

She was peacefully humming Jingle Bells, the tune she couldn't get out of her head since she'd noticed the fresh layer of snow that had fallen at some point in the night, when the door to Will's room opened. Realizing instantly that Will hadn't spent the night, she jumped back behind the kitchen table and her hand flew to her heart.

"Oh, morning," came Jess's low grumble.

"Ohmygod," came her exhaled response as she realized it was just Jess.

Jess. In Will's room at 7:30 in the morning. And Luke hadn't woken up yet. Pieces fell into place, and she considered asking Jess for details, but the man didn't appear up to much talking. He never did in the morning. It was sufficed to say that he wasn't exactly a morning person.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, trying to sound concerned, but not overly so.

"Nah," he shook his head, scratching the back of his neck as he slid into a seat at the table.

"Good, good," she nodded as she turned to check the coffee's progress.

"Oh," came Luke's voice as he stopped in the entrance to the kitchen. He and Jess exchanged a look before he looked over to Lorelai, who smiled at him questioningly. He smiled back and sat down across from Jess as Lorelai poured coffee into three mugs and they all sat there in silence, no one sure quite what to say at the moment.

She was aware of soft lips making a fine line down her exposed neck. She sort of registered her approval with a smile, though it was lost on the giver since her face was buried into the pillow facing away from him.

He wasn't to be denied, and settled in on one particular spot, his tongue circling around on the patch of skin directly behind her ear lobe. A spot that could in fact be said to be responsible for Jake's conception, if she were being honest.

As his gentle handiwork became more insistent and teeth began tugging at the thin skin over the sensitive spot, she shifted in the bed and rolled properly into his waiting arms.

"What took you so long?" he joked, kissing her properly on the lips.

"Sleep, good," she tried for a complete sentence, but found it was too early and took too long. Silence invited her husband's warm lips back against hers as well, yet another argument for the pro column. Yes, even when exhausted and horny, the lists continue in her head.

He slipped a hand up under the silky top she'd worn to bed the night before and ran a fingertip lightly over an even more sensitized area, causing her to slide her leg between his and press herself further into his body. She snaked a hand of her own down his stubble covered jaw-line, one of the perks of their morning romps, and giggled as he continued to play with her.

Being awoken by a video game isn't something Anna was accustomed to. In fact, it hadn't happened since she moved away to college. She almost always found internships to whisk her away from Stars Hollow during the summer hiatus from school, thereby leaving her free from the constraints and annoyances of living with boys. One of the most annoying habits her brothers had was playing video games, at any spare moment. Never choosing more dignified means of entertaining themselves, like reading a book or learning a skill. Just staring at the screen and letting their minds become empty. Throwing off the blankets, grumbling at Davey's 'Oh, did I wake you?' afterthought of a question, she stumbled into the kitchen where Will was eating cereal and reading the newspaper.

"Ah, civilization," she commented as she looked around for a bowl.

"Huh?" came Will's oblivious question.

"Nothing. What's happening in the world today?"

"Dunno, this is the Gazette," he smiled.

"Ah, then who did what to whom?" she giggled.

"Want half?" he extended the first half of the paper to her.

"What the hell," she said, taking the paper from him and settling down next to him with her own bowl of cereal.

After having emerged first from the shared shower, Rory heard her cell phone ringing in the main part of the room. Giving her husband a smile and a promise to return in a second, she hurried out, wrapping a towel around her as she went.

"Hey," she said, checking that it was her mother who was calling.

"Rory, we have a problem."

"Thanks, Apollo 13."

"Rory, Jess and Erin are having trouble," Lorelai dove right into the situation. Living with Luke for twenty years had that effect on her, sometimes anyhow.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Marital trouble. Bad marital trouble."

"Impossible. I just talked to him, he didn't mention it."

"Well, he's here now, spent the night, talked to Luke," she explained, "It's bad, kid."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well, I thought the four of you could go out by yourself, without the kids—we'll take the kids for the day, maybe two."

"Mom, I love Jess and Erin. But wouldn't it be awkward for Tristan and I to be with a fighting Jess and Erin? Shouldn't they get away alone?"

"No, they need the good influence. You four used to hang out alone all the time," Lorelai reminded.

"I know, but," Rory stalled.

"Just, try. We have to help, they're family."

"Fine. I'll talk to Tristan, and we'll get it worked out. I'll talk to you later."

"Good. Thanks, hun," Lorelai said before hanging up the line and heading back downstairs where Luke and Jess were.

Davey realized he hadn't had breakfast when his stomach rumbling got louder than the sound on the television. He paused his game and walked into the kitchen.

"Dear God, you two look like an old boring married couple," he scoffed, seeing his sister and Will seated at the table, both reading and eating absently from their bowls.

"Thanks, man, I appreciate that," Will said sarcastically, downing the last of the milk in his bowl before folding his paper over and putting his bowl in the sink.

"I'm going to hop in the shower," he added as he quickly left the room.

"What was that about?" Davey asked.

"What was what about?"

"He left in a hurry."

"Maybe you've been on your own too long, Dave. See, morning is a time where people get ready for their day. They eat breakfast, they shower—it's not a big deal," she said slowly.

"What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Nothing because nothing is going on, or nothing because neither of you has spoken up?"

"Geez, what is wrong with you? We're friends, we've always been friends," she reminded her brother.

"But there's something else now when you two are together. You don't see that?"

"No, because you're crazy and I'm not willing to be dragged into your world," she downed her milk as well and put her bowl in the sink. "Maybe I'll head to Mom's to shower," she added.

"I don't want to drive you away," he said, putting an arm around her.

"Look, Dave," she said looking down the hall to make sure the bathroom door was shut, "Will's just been there for me, and I'm trying to do the same for him. He doesn't feel any way other than friendly towards me. Trust me," she said, hugging her brother before moving to the front room to gather her things.

Davey didn't look so convinced, and vowed to himself to get to the bottom of this. He rummaged around the kitchen first, to settle his hungry stomach.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

AN: Glad to see you're enjoying the development, thanks to all who are reviewing! Makes my day!

"This is going to be painful."

It wasn't a protest or a complaint; it was simply a statement of fact. He hadn't actually complained once about being roped into this outing by his wife and mother-in-law, but she knew he wasn't happy about it. He simply stopped the car outside her mother's house and didn't move a muscle.

"Tristan, I don't want to do this either, but what if we can help?"

"Rory, how can we help their marriage? Do you even know what's wrong with them?"

She looked down to her lap before answering. "Well, no, but Mom said it was bad, and they needed time away from the kids together. So we're going up to Martha's Vineyard, to my grandparent's old place," she informed him.

"Rory, Jess told me that things weren't going so great. He mentioned some job offer in California, and her leaving despite his not going," he told her.

"What? You're kidding me!"

"Rory, calm down. We probably shouldn't know the whole story if we're going to help—once you take a side," he started.

"I'm not taking sides, I love both of them. Our goal is simply to get them to realize what a mistake not being together would be. You'd want someone to step in and do the same for us if you were stupid enough to want to leave me, wouldn't you?"

She gave him her biggest eyes, and waited for his answer.

"I would have to be dying to leave you," he said in his most serious tone, never joking about leaving her.

She smiled softly, knowing her husband's devotion to her, and leaned over to kiss him on the mouth. She didn't pull back until she heard the back door open.

"Jesus, it's bad enough I have to go on this insanity plea, but do you two always have to be doing that?"

"Hey, Jess," Tristan shook his head as his old friend got into the backseat.

"Where are your bags?"

"My bags?"

"Your bags," she reiterated.

"Why would I need bags?"

"Will you two quit saying bags?" Tristan sighed.

"Jess, we're going to Martha's Vineyard for two days. You need stuff," she chose a different word to keep the vein on Tristan's forehead in its rightful place.

"Martha's Vineyard for two days? I don't think so," he said, grabbing for the door handle. Rory moved quicker and hit the child-safety lock.

"Look, Jess, I don't know how Mom roped you into this, but she and Luke just thought that what ever was going on with you two could be helped with some time away, just the four of us, and if you want, just the two of you. We can do our own things once we're up there. We're just the vehicle here."

Tristan didn't look at Jess; he kept his eyes glued to his wife. Jess stared Rory down as well, trying to decide how much he liked being child-locked into the car and if he was willing to do this at all.

"Erin and I both need to do our own things. Maybe you guys should take her, and I'll just go down to the city for a few days," he tried.

"Jess, come on. This is your marriage. Don't you care at all?" she asked, exasperated.

"Me, not care? God, all I've been trying to do is keep my marriage together, Rory! I've been trying to make her see that we have to work through this, we have to get some help—we have kids and lives, and she's just going to throw all that away like it means nothing for some job in California. California. You know how I feel about California."

"Jess," Rory softened her tone and her expression changed to one of empathy as she continued to look into his eyes, "I know what California is to you. She does too, I'm sure; she's just too weighed down with whatever this is. If you really care, do this last thing. Don't give up, not yet."

He looked at her for a moment more, then slumped back against the backseat.

"I'll pack at the Inn, all my stuff is there anyhow."

"Thatta boy," she smiled, turning rightly in her seat as Tristan put the car into drive.

Over at the Melville household, the usual bustle of activity was in progress. With four kids and usually some of their friends thrown into the mix, Sookie and Jackson had become masters of finding peace amidst insanity. Sookie had just finished serving up a huge breakfast to the rare few members of her family that had spent the night there; herself, Jackson, Billy and Lia. Anna had spent the night at Davey's, and she was still worried about her daughter. She had finally eaten and her mood didn't seem quite so toxic by the end of the evening, but she was still worried.

"Hey, great breakfast, Sook," Jackson's lips pressed into the top of Sookie's head as he walked behind her chair.

"Thanks, hun," she nodded absently.

"You okay?"

"Anna."

"Oh, she called. She said to save some pancakes for her, she'll be over soon."

"Really?"

"Something about Davey's shower. Maybe I should call Luke to go look at it," he shook his head. Handiwork had never been Jackson's forte—if it didn't grow in the ground, he didn't care for it.

"Honey, Will lives there."

"Right. He must know something about pipes," he nodded.

"I'm glad she's coming home, even if it's just to shower."

"Is she okay? Did she say anything?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Sookie put her hand over Jackson's to reassure him. She was partially lying, but Jackson wouldn't do well knowing his little girl was in pain. He'd never been good about his kids in pain, especially Anna and Lia.

"When are you going to rush over there?" came Lia's voice, raising over her parents conversation.

"Shut up!" Billy warned his younger sister.

"After all, her parents are going away for the weekend, so no one can stop you from heading over there and leering at her all you want," she giggled as she bit into a muffin.

"Lia," Billy warned.

"Lia, stop teasing your brother," Jackson added for good measure.

"Daddy, Billy's in love with Ella," Lia reported.

"Is that right?" Jackson raised an eyebrow to his son.

"Oh, sure. Listen to her, she's nuts, Dad. I don't like anyone."

"She said love, not like," Sookie interjected.

Lia smiled and Billy shot her a dangerous look. The teasing stopped as the front door opened and closed. Anna walked into the kitchen of her parents' house and looked at her family seated around the table.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked, noticing all conversation had halted.

Not wanting her sister to feel strange, Lia filled her in. "Billy's in love with Ella," she said in an explanatory tone.

"I am NOT!" Billy half yelled, getting up from the table and heading towards his room.

Anna smiled, glad to see home life never really did change and sat down in his seat. "Are those pancakes still around, Dad?"

Jackson smiled at her and his wife as she handed over the plate loaded down with Sookie's apple pancakes.

As Will emerged from his room, now showered and completely ready for the day, he found the house seemingly empty. Anna had gone, where he wasn't sure, and Davey was in the shower himself. He'd been trying to shake the feeling he'd gotten last night on the couch with Anna—actually the feeling he'd gotten since their walk yesterday. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. This was normal, he reasoned to himself, due to what she had told him and the fact that she was there for him about the whole Bree thing. They were friends and it was normal not to be able to get friends' problems out of your head. At least, he hoped so.

"There you are," Davey said, a towel wrapped around his waist as he emerged from the steamy bathroom.

"Yep, you found me."

"What are you doing?"

"Standing here."

"I meant today, in general," Davey rolled his eyes at his sometimes too literal friend.

"Thought about going over to Mom and Dad's. Why?"

Davey shrugged. "Thought you might want to head over to the gym and play some one-on-one."

"We could do that. Mom and Dad's will still be there later."

"Great. Just let me get changed, okay?"

"Fine."

The two boys got ready and headed over to the high school gym. Once there, they began to play basketball, in relative silence. Will threw the ball in-bounds to Davey who then threw it back and they headed down the half-court.

"So, Anna headed over to my folks house after you left this morning," Davey began.

"Uh-huh," Will said, moving around his friend to try to make a shot.

Davey's hand went up to block the ball. "You two are pretty chatty lately," he added.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Will stole the ball back from Davey and made a lay-up. He caught the ball and threw it to Davey.

"Come on, man. Is there something I should know?"

Will stopped on the court. "Are we here to talk or play?"

"Talk."

"Then why are we playing?"

"We're guys. We don't just go sip tea and talk."

Will rolled his eyes and moved to block the open shot Davey was trying to make.

"There's nothing I can tell you. If Anna wants to tell you what happened, she will. It's up to her, not me."

"So, something is going on with you two?"

Will stopped again in his tracks. "What? No," he protested.

"You aren't into my sister?"

"Dave!"

"It's an honest question! You two are spending a lot of time alone, and she's been looking at you like," he stopped in mid-sentence.

"Like what?" Will bent half over, resting his hands on his knees, while raising his head up to look at his friend. "Like what?" he repeated.

"Like you're more than a comforting friend."

"You're nuts."

"That's what she said."

"Wait, you talked to her about this? Is that why she's acting so weird?"

"HAH! So, you admit it!"

"Dave, nothing is going on. Anna isn't into me."

"But you're into her?"

Will said nothing, just threw the ball back at his friend.

"Play."

"Will."

"Dave, I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Will."

"Dave, you know what I'm going through with Bree. I don't need all that again."

Davey nodded and decided not to push the conversation anymore. He got the feeling from both of them that there was possibility here; but both seemed too wrapped up in their own problems to realize it. He moved down the court with Will, ceasing all talk of his sister for now.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

Will was walking out of his parents' house in order to check the mail for his mother. She had her usual post-Thanksgiving hangover, which was as always brought on by a mass of carbohydrates. She was on the couch for the day, convincing people to bring her things so as not to interrupt her leisure. She was waiting for some catalogue to come, and Will was one of her errand boys today. Luke, Errand Boy #1, was currently in the kitchen, arranging some saltines and coffee to help 'settle her stomach'.

He'd just rifled through the box, the one that had the word DANES painted in small script in front of GILMORE, never changed from the day Lorelai had taken the paint herself and made an addendum when Luke moved in. Successful in retrieving said catalogue, he smiled in anticipation of her over-dramatic response.

"You're happy."

He turned and held up the catalogue to show Anna.

"Victoria's?"

"Hey, first of all, no, and secondly, it's not for me."

She took the catalogue and leafed through it, and nodded. "Lorelai's?"

He nodded, taking it back as the walked up the front steps.

"She's on the couch?"

He smiled and nodded again. "What brings you here?"

"I forgot my scarf here last night," she explained.

"Will? Is that you? Did it come? Because you can just call Kirk and—oh, hey, Anna!" Lorelai half turned to face the front door, greeting the two, and then happily grabbing the catalogue from Will's hands.

"You got some bills, too," he informed her.

"Gah, just throw those in the pile," she waved her hand behind her.

"Right."

"So, Anna, what brings you here?"

"My scarf, I think I left it last night."

"Oh, well, there's a pile of leftover clothing in Will's room—we always seem to have one of those, like we're having some sort of wild parties or something," she grinned to herself.

"Okay, so we'll go look. You rest up, Mom," he shook his head and pulled Anna along behind him.

Meanwhile, somewhere between Stars Hollow and Martha's Vineyard, Tristan's BMW rolled along the interstate. The most noise was coming from the sound of the tires as they moved against the pavement. The silence in the car was deafening. At the Dragonfly, Rory had gone up to get Erin to agree to join them as Jess packed his bag. They met at the car, and not much had been said since.

Rory looked to her husband, who was concentrating on getting where they were going. She moved her left hand to cover his right one, and gave it a squeeze. She half turned in the passenger seat, to check on the state of things in the backseat. Jess and Erin were sitting in their opposite corners, no touching, no eye contact. Taking a deep breath, she decided she had to say. . . something.

"So, Erin, how is work going?"

Erin looked up, almost surprised. "Oh, well, you know. Busy," she offered.

"Yeah, me too. Busy," she bit her bottom lip, wondering what would get the other woman on a talking spree.

"So, how is Jules liking school so far?"

Erin glanced at Jess, giving him a rather accusatory look, before answering. "I'm not sure. She seems to have been sort of overwhelmed by it, but I think she's bucking up now," she added.

Jess scoffed, but said no actual words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erin shot at him immediately.

"I didn't say anything," he pointed out tiredly.

"No, you never do, do you?"

"Erin, I swear to God, don't start with this now," he gave her a warning look.

"I should have just gone," she muttered under her breath.

"Real nice," he said, looking back out the window.

Rory winced when the bickering started in front of them, and she turned back in her seat. Tristan squeezed her hand, acknowledging her efforts even though they seemed to have failed. All four took to staring out windows, dreading the arrival at their destination.

In Will's old bedroom, still as he left it when he went off to Yale the first year, Anna and Will sat on his twin bed. She held her scarf that had been pulled out of the pile of leftovers: a glove, her scarf, a pair of mittens, three hats, and a coat.

"So, what are you up to tonight?" she asked.

"Well, Dave's off to see mystery woman, so I guess hanging out with him at home is out," he shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Mystery woman? Davey has a girl?"

Will grimaced. "Ooh, yeah. I didn't tell you that," he pleaded with her, using only his eyes.

"Oh, no. Nuh-uh. I am so using this knowledge to my advantage."

"Ann, come on," Will tried to reason with her.

"Who is it?"

"Dunno."

"Bull. Tell me."

"Seriously, I don't know. I've never met her, and he never uses her name. I think he knows it himself, but he doesn't share this knowledge."

"But you guys have been best friends all your lives. Why won't he tell you?"

"I have no idea. I don't push people on things like this," he raised his eyebrow at her.

"We should spy!" she bounced a little on the bed, obviously happy at her thought.

Will held in a groan—a stakeout to see whom Davey was seeing sounded like a bad idea. Dave wasn't telling for a reason, obviously, but Anna seemed really excited about the prospect. Anna hadn't seemed excited this whole visit, and he knew she needed to get her mind off of what had happened to her.

"Will, come on," she pleaded, giving him the puppy dog eyes in conjunction with the pouty lip—a lethal combination.

"Fine, we'll tail him. But if we get caught," he pointed at her.

"Will, I'm his sister. Of course he'll blame me," she shook her head, signifying Will's oversight of thought. She clapped her hands happily and they went out to rejoin Lorelai in the living room, and Luke, who was futilely attempting to get her to agree to take down the Christmas tree already.

Pulling into the modestly large garage, Tristan turned off the ignition and looked at Rory. She looked sad, past the ability to muster enthusiasm enough for the four of them.

"So, I guess we should get our bags in and get settled. We could to go to Silvio's for dinner," he suggested.

"Sure," Erin mumbled.

"Whatever," Jess said as he opened his door and exited the car.

"Thank you," Rory leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. They sat in the car a moment as Jess and Erin fled, in all probability to separate rooms.

"I just couldn't say anything more. I thought talking about the kids would be safe," she continued.

"I know, but I'm not sure anything is safe with them right now. Jess said they were fighting about the kids. Ambrose has been getting into some trouble at school, and Jules' grades aren't so good right now."

"Jess told you all that?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Oh," she paused, wondering why he hadn't told her. "Well, Jules did just start there, maybe Jake could tutor her, help get her up to speed," she suggested to her husband.

He smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "That's why I love you. The eternal optimist, always looking to make something positive."

"Hey, someone has to, right?"

"Right. Come on, let's get in there before they kill each other," he smiled at her and got out of the car.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

Dinner had been uneventful up until this point. At least, no one had stabbed anyone else with a steak knife, so Rory was hoping she could paint this as a success when she later explained 'how it went' to Lorelai. Sighing, she realized she wasn't fooling anyone. Erin and Jess had in fact put their belongings in different rooms back at the house. Richard and Emily's old place was nothing if not spacious. In the few years they'd owned it, back when all the kids were still quite small, everyone had been invited up for a couple of weeks during the summers. Lorelai had even gotten Emily to let Luke and Jess barbeque, making hot dogs and hamburgers. Very un-Emily-like. Rory smiled at the fond memories she had of her grandparents and wondered how she could possibly get Jess and Erin to remember happier times. Them trying to converse at all seemed to go horribly wrong, and in mere seconds. They were too on edge, read too much into every motion, every intonation. It seemed she had the most impossible task. Worse yet, her excuse for not saying much up to this point during dinner was quickly coming to a conclusion. Most of her plate was visible, as her Chicken Marsala was mostly consumed by now. She scanned topics in her head, but quickly caught on to how the blame game was being played by these two, and could weed out every single topic almost instantaneously at this point.

"Shall we?" Tristan asked, sliding his chair back and extending his hand to her. 'At Last' was beginning to play in the background, and Rory smiled. It had been their first dance as a married couple—fittingly so, as it had been their first dance together period. He never missed an opportunity to dance with her, especially to this song.

"Let's shall," she looked into his shining blue eyes and let him lead her out to the smallish dance floor.

Instantly swept up in the feel of his arms around her, she leaned against his shoulder, smiling like an idiot into his jacket. He brushed his lips against her forehead, and held her a little tighter against his frame.

"Thanks," she murmured into him.

"For what?"

"For doing all this, for getting me away from that table. This was a bad idea, maybe we should just get the hell out of Dodge," she admitted defeat, now looking up into his eyes.

"Well, I won't say I told you so," he smirked at her, "But I don't think we can do anything to help them. All I'm worried about is making sure my wife gets to dance to our song," he added.

"You are remarkably sappy about that," she smiled back at him.

"If you like, I could be a complete jackass later," he offered.

"We'll see. For now, just hold me a little tighter," she instructed as she rested her head back against his shoulder.

Back in Stars Hollow, Luke and Lorelai had prepared the house for a massive kid invasion, ready for any and every scenario. Including them all sleeping over since they weren't quite sure when their parents would return. Six teenagers, all in their care.

"We're certifiable," Luke groaned as Lorelai put even more candy on the coffee table.

"Yeah, oh, hey, could you pick up a gallon of Chunky Monkey on your way back from picking up the kids?"

"Lorelai, if they eat all this sugar, their parents will have to peel them off our walls in a couple days," he tried to impart some better judgment.

"Luke, I told you when you moved in to this house! I have one Cardinal Rule: You don't monkey with tradition. And Movie Night is tradition! Junk food and all. Now, scoot, scoot, you'll be late!"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I refuse to buy anything called Chunky Monkey," he informed her, taking his jacket and keys from the front hall as he left the house. She just shook her head and wandered over to the phone to check and make sure Rory hadn't called. She worried about the outing and hoped it was going well. Otherwise, they really were crazy for taking in six teenagers. . .

Anna and Will sat on the couch at the apartment, supposedly watching television. Davey was moving around them, grabbing personal items he'd left scattered randomly. Checking that he had his wallet, watch, and his cell phone, he gave a look to his friend and sister.

"So, quiet night in?" he asked them.

"Oh, yeah, they're having a John Hughes marathon on tonight, we're just going to watch Anthony Michael Hall geek it up until we pass out," Will waved him on without looking in his direction.

"Right. Well, have fun," he winked at his sister, who stuck out her tongue at her brother. She had told him that there was nothing going on with her and Will, but he still refused to believe it.

As soon as Davey was out the door, Anna sprang up and grabbed her duffel bag that she'd stowed under the couch.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, flipping the television off.

She held up a pair of black pants and a black hooded sweatshirt.

"Ann, we don't have time to change. We have to go now," he laughed at her. "Besides, shouldn't you have a ski mask, too?" he mocked.

Giving a smile, she once again put her hand in the bag and pulled it out to reveal said ski mask.

"Fine, whatever, but you're changing in the car. Let's go," he said, moving to the door.

Jess watched as the two remained on the dance floor, having been there for four songs now. He couldn't imagine they'd want to come back to the table. Then again, he couldn't imagine any one of them wanting to be trapped in the middle of nowhere with him and Erin.

He watched Tristan and Rory in amazement. He'd always known that they were almost annoyingly in love. Ever since they'd begun dating twenty years ago, they'd only ever had eyes for each other. Every move they made was almost as much for the other person as it was for themselves. The way he held her so tightly, letting her rest and sway in time to the music made him shiver. They looked so in sync, so peaceful and oblivious to the world around them. He couldn't remember when the last time he'd held Erin like that. He knew it had been great once, but now she just seemed so closed off to him.

His eyes cast downward for a moment, and then he chanced a glimpse at his wife. A single tear had escaped her eye, and it was trickling slowly down her cheek. Her eyes, too, had been on Rory and Tristan.

"Hey, come on," he whispered softly, taking her by the hand and leading her outside onto the deserted balcony.

Lorelai had just popped the first DVD into the player when the front door opened. A flurry of noise and wind breezed in, and she turned to see the arriving crowd. Luke entered last, holding a plain paper bag. He closed the door, and after she instructed the kids where to dump their belongings, Lorelai approached him.

"Whatcha' got there?" she said, trying to take the bag from him.

Holding it just out of her reach, he opened the bag and took out half the contents.

"Raspberry sherbet? Bleh!" she complained. "It's healthy."

"It's for me," he smirked, before pulling the other half of the contents out of the bag.

"Chunky Monkey! You DO love me!" she kissed him before taking the carton and making a dash for the front room.

"Alright, movie marathon begins in five minutes! Everyone do whatever you need to do! Use the bathroom now, or suffer the non-pauseable consequences! If you have cell phones, please turn them off! And someone, quick, call Joe! We need pizza with everything!" she rambled out her spiel, Jake grabbing the phone to hit Speed Dial 2 to order pizza.

"Grandma, do you want Cheesy bread?" he asked, pulling the receiver away from his mouth.

"You're kidding, right?" she deadpanned, pretending to be in shock.

Jake just smiled and pulled the receiver back up to his mouth. "Yeah, Joe, better add on a couple of orders. Twenty minutes? Thanks."

"What are we watching?" Jules asked.

"Classics, my dear. Classics."

Jules smiled at Lorelai, settling back down on the couch between Lia and Ambrose. She'd talked to Ambrose earlier, as they gathered overnight things to bring over. They knew their parents weren't in a spontaneous, happy-go-lucky mood, and their going away with Rory and Tristan was just strange. She suggested that maybe they were going off to Mexico to get a quickie divorce, but Ambrose assured her they wouldn't do something so rash—at least not without talking to them first. Jess had always been really upfront with his kids. If they asked a question, he gave the most honest, straightforward answer he could provide. He was of the opinion that if you treat kids like babies, they'll act like them, and if you treat them like equals, they'll respect you. Ambrose and Jules had nothing but respect for their parents, but lately they knew they weren't getting the whole truth. They had heard the fighting, and Ambrose had even allowed Jules in his room some nights when the fighting was bad. They sat up late, talking and reading. Ambrose tried to ask Jess about the fighting, but all Jess would say was not to worry about it.

Billy sat down on the floor next to Ella, who was sitting in front of Jules. She gave him a smile and reached out for one of the tubs of popcorn.

"Can you pass me the Milk Duds?" she asked him.

"Uh, yeah," he said, easily reaching the dish that had been out of her reach.

"Thanks," she said, pouring some candy into the warm popcorn. "Want some?" she offered after having mixed up the two treats.

He smiled and grabbed a handful, thrilled to be sharing snacks with the beautiful brunette as the lights went down and Lorelai pressed play.

"We've been in the car over twenty minutes," Anna stated, as if Will wasn't aware. He was driving, two cars behind Dave.

"I know. Try to find another station, I hate this song," he instructed her.

"Not a Tub-Thumper?" she giggled.

"Where in hell is he going? I swear, we've got to be heading towards New Haven."

"New Haven? I don't think anyone smart enough to be there would date Dave," she snorted. "Unless—ooh, think it's a high schooler?"

"We're so not going there. He's 23, let's give him a little credit, shall we?"

"For now," she agreed.

"So, how are you doing?" he said, trying to casually switch the conversation.

"You mean about everything?"

"Yeah."

"I'm okay," she lied.

"You sleep much last night?"

"Well, that couch isn't exactly comfortable."

"Ann," he protested.

"I'm going to be fine. Honestly, I will," she smiled, looking him full in the eyes.

"Okay. But if you need anything, at all, anytime," he rambled.

"I know, you've made that abundantly clear. And you are more than sweet."

"You'll call me, if you need anything?"

The look in his eyes was so serious, so full of concern that she could have cried just from that. Something about the color of his eyes, she could tell even in the dark, turned deeper. She wanted him to stop the car, so she could curl against him and let him hold her until she really felt that it was okay. She knew somehow that he had the ability to make her feel like that.

"I promise," was all she said.

"Good," he smiled at her before turning his attention back to Dave's car. Dave pulled off to the right lane, and slowed to indicate he was taking this exit. Will slowed first, and then took the exit behind his friend. They were on the outskirts of New Haven, not the main exit to take to get to the main campus. Will's pace was almost that of a snail, hoping Dave wouldn't recognize the car even if he realized they were making all the same turns. There is nothing creepier than thinking someone is following you, even though you know it's one of the most improbable things on earth. Feeling only slightly bad for tailing his friend, he continued until Dave pulled to a stop outside of an apartment house. Will pulled up a block and parked on the opposite side of the street.

"Well, I guess we're about ready for the big reveal," Anna said, sitting up straight in her seat.

Dave walked up to the front door on the bottom floor, and knocked. Will felt his breath hold in his lungs just as the door opened. A very familiar figure stood across from Dave. She smiled and waved him happily inside.

"Bree," Will said without emotion. He felt like he'd been slapped across the face. He supposed this was what shock felt like—after all it was how he felt when Bree had told him of her infidelity and pregnancy, and when Anna told him what happened to her before break. Shock sucked, he decided. He wasn't even sure he could drive home at this point. He grasped the steering wheel tightly, but couldn't even really feel the hard texture beneath his fingers.

"Will? Why don't we switch places?" Anna said. She was also in shock, but not quite as bad as Will. She couldn't imagine her brother would be as stupid as to betray Will's friendship so irrevocably. It had to be a joke or a mistake. 'But how could it be?' she thought to herself as she jogged around to the drivers side while Will scooted across to where she'd been seated just moments before.

AN: ah, time to write! If I could, I'd gladly be skipping work, but I do need money. Darn it all! But I have two really free days off coming up next, so hopefully I'll have another chapter up, very, very soon! Glad to hear your comments, to see you guys are interested.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

After Anna had taken over position in the driver's seat, she hesitated in turning over the ignition. Will hadn't actually said anything since he uttered her name. _Her_ name—the she-devil herself. She just kept thinking to herself that this all had to be some big misunderstanding, or a joke, albeit not a very funny one. Something had to give here. Will had been through enough without this happening on top of it all. She bit her lower lip and dared a look at Will. She wasn't sure what she expected to see. Perhaps steam literally coming out of his ears, or a pained grimace. Something, that was for sure. It would have been normal. The unnerving part was that he seemed to be lacking in expressions. She couldn't read him at all, which had never happened in their entire lives.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, well, where are we going?"

"Wherever. Whatever. I don't care."

"Okay," she paused, not wanting to ask if he was okay. She knew he wasn't, and it just seemed the wrong thing to ask. "So, I'll just drive."

"Okay."

He stared out the window, looking at the apartment building across the street form the one that Davey had just disappeared into. He couldn't even begin to think about what they'd just witnessed. He just closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the headrest while Anna drove them away from this particular reality.

Jess still had a hold of Erin's hand and stopped outside on the chilly balcony. The wind was whipping around them, and he noticed how her hair seemed to chase itself around her face. He reached over with his other hand to clear her cheek from the wild strands.

"Hey," he whispered.

"I can't believe this," she barely spoke above a whisper.

"What?" he asked, hoping this might be some sort of breakthrough. Perhaps now she would really talk to him.

"After all this time, I thought I was crazy. But it's true. You still love her."

He was stunned. His wife looked completely serious, but he still couldn't believe those words had just come out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm not coming along for this particular trip down the path to mental instability," he shook his head, pulling his hand back from hers.

"No, Jess, just admit it. Make it easier, just do that for me."

"I don't even know where you're getting any of this," he stared into her eyes that once held nothing but love, but now just looked tired.

"Come on, honey, I saw you. You've been watching her all evening. She insisted we all come up here and you agreed. I haven't been able to get you to leave the city in months."

"Erin, we have kids, we can't just--," he started.

"We can just. We could send them to stay with Luke or Rory or my folks, anytime! And for God's sake, they are old enough to stay alone at this point. But you never want to be alone with me."

"Erin, I've been trying for a long time to get you to talk to me—you've been closed off and on the verge of walking out on me for a while now. How am I supposed to just want to head out and have fun with you?"

"So, you're blaming your attraction for another woman on me?"

"I'm not attracted to her!"

"Please," she almost laughed, but the bitterness that she had obviously built up for this subject seeped through.

"Jess?" Rory poked her head out on the balcony, as Tristan was paying the check.

He looked up at Rory, then back at Erin. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Erin, pleading with her using his eyes to snap out it and just listen to him. She crossed her arms and looked out over the water.

Rory watched, confused and bordering on stunned as Jess muttered something under his breath and moved past her and through the restaurant.

"Erin?" she ventured, full of worry.

Erin didn't move, she just tightened her grip around herself and continued her steel gaze into the dark water.

"I just wanted to let you know that we were leaving," she tried again.

Erin nodded, "You guys go on. I'll take a cab in a bit," she managed, hoping Rory could take the hint.

"Okay. If you're sure," she felt the icy vibes coming off of Erin from the second she'd put her head out the door, but she wasn't quite sure what the reason was. She and Erin had always gotten along, but now she didn't feel like she should push Erin for explanations.

"I'm sure."

Rory nodded and walked back into the restaurant to find Tristan. He was waiting by the entrance, and gave her a hopeful look. She just shook her head and curled into him as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Back in Stars Hollow, a blue haze reached out into the room originating from the television screen, making all the sleeping children appear Smurf-like. Luke walked back into the living room, wondering if it was even worth it to wake any of the kids. Lorelai was lying in the armchair; her legs swung over one arm. She was asleep, covered by one of her favorite quilts. He moved over next to her and gently shook her awake.

"Hmm, movie over?"

"I've come to realize that's what the blue screen means," he nodded. "Come to bed."

"But, there are kids and beds somewhere, and they aren't in them," she tried to form coherent thought.

"I think they'll be fine, come on. We'll peel them apart and cure their sugar hangovers in the morning," he promised, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Carry me?" she looked hopeful at him through her dark lashes.

"One of these times, I'm so not going to fall for that," he sighed.

"Sure, honey, sure," she yawned through her triumphant smile as he hoisted her up and carried her up the stairs to their room.

Anna stirred her coffee and waited for Will to come back to the table. She hadn't known what to do, so she just got back on the highway and took the first exit that offered food. Neither had eaten dinner, and she figured maybe he could eat. He went straight to the bathroom upon arrival.

Will slid into the booth across from her. "Thanks for ordering coffee," he gave a smile. He had definitely inherited the Gilmore appreciation for coffee. He took a long drink and noticed she was watching him.

"Hungry?"

"Uh, yeah. They make a mean Denver omelet here."

"What?"

"Denver omelets. They serve breakfast all day long. Sort of like at Dad's."

"How can you know that?"

"We aren't that far from campus. This place serves breakfast all day, and it's better than Denny's," he smiled.

"I see. Two Denver omelets it is," she said, handing the menus back to the waitress, who was mindlessly chomping on a wad of gum. She nodded and walked off, leaving them alone again.

"Maybe it's not what we think," she finally suggested.

"Ann, don't do that."

"But, Will, he's your best friend. He couldn't do that to you, I know that."

"Look, let's just not talk about it. It isn't worth talking about."

"Will, I'm just—,"

"Just what?"

"I'm so sorry," she offered, not knowing what else to say.

"How sorry?" he asked, with a glint in this eye. That glint he got from his mother, and she knew he was up to something.

"You're going to make me sorry, aren't you?"

"I think the two of us need some fun. Some real fun."

She raised an eyebrow and just had to smile. 'This should be good', she thought.

Back at the Gilmore house on the Vineyard, Rory sat in bed waiting for Tristan. He brought up a tray with cookies and hot cocoa on it. He sat it down on the bedside table and handed her a mug. He offered her the tray of cookies, but she shook her head.

"No cookies?"

"I'm not hungry," she shrugged.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," she sighed.

"He was really pissed off," Tristan pointed out.

"Yeah."

"Think she's even coming back here?"

"Dunno."

"You looked really amazing tonight."

"Tristan."

"What? You did."

"They aren't going to be alright. I have to call my mom in the morning and tell her we are coming home and we lost Erin."

"Rory," he sighed and put his mug on the table. "I know you have the best of intentions, but this just isn't something you can fix."

"I didn't want to fix it, I just thought," she paused.

He looked at his wife, knowing she was crushed by what was happening to their friends. He put an arm around her and let her slide her head down against his chest.

"That can't happen to us, can it?" she asked softly, her breath catching as she awaited his answer.

"That's why you're going all out about this? Rory, hey, look at me," he said, cupping her chin and angling her face so she would meet his gaze, "Not going to happen. Ever." His tone was definitive, and he leaned down to kiss her worry away. She melted into his touch, forgetting any doubt that had entered her mind over the last two days. His sweet reassurance soon became heated passion, as she responded to his ever-intensifying touch.

AN: I was so bummed, I was sitting on Chapter 10 so long while updated the system, and I was so ticked that I couldn't post that I didn't write until after I got to post it. But I got it done. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and to all the US folks out there, have a Happy Thanksgiving!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

She could feel warmth and weight on her body. She felt so tangled up in appendages; it was difficult to decipher which were her own and which belonged to those around her. In a half dream-filled state, she rolled to her left, slipping out of the entanglements, and landing on something warm and comfortable. Pleased with her new position, Ella curled up and instantly fell back into slumber.

Billy, however, was now wide-awake, staring at the brown hair that was splayed out over his chest. He was now being used as a human teddy bear by the girl of his just-awoken-from dreams.

The sun had just come up as Will pulled the car to a stop in his driveway. He gently shook Anna, who was still covered in glitter and had pieces of confetti in her hair (as did he), until she stirred.

"Wha' time is't?" she yawned.

"Early. Come on, you can sleep here for a while," he smiled as they got out of Will's car and hurried through the cold to the warmth of the apartment.

Dave was seated in an armchair, staring at the door. As soon as the pair entered the apartment, Anna hanging off of Will, his rant began.

"Where the hell have you two been?"

"Davey, shh," Anna giggled as she moved towards the couch.

"Will," Dave said sternly, "A word, please?"

Will cocked an eyebrow, unsure as to the reason for Dave's attitude. Clearly, he'd no idea that he had been followed last night.

"Fine, in a minute," he told Dave before turning to Anna, "Come on, Ann, you take my room."

She didn't protest, just gave a grateful half-smile and padded down the hall. As soon as Will's door closed, the two boys faced one another.

"Well?"

"What the hell gives you the right to keep her out all night?"

"You are _not_ going to start this with me, Dave."

"Why not?"

"Fine. But first, tell me how long you've been with Bree."

Though his face had been flushed with anger, as soon as her name was mentioned, it paled quickly.

Jess hadn't slept at all. All night, he'd turned from one position to another, hoping to find any peace. He knew Erin wasn't coming back, at least not that night. All he could hear was Erin's words from the restaurant. Around sun-up, he decided it was a lost cause and got up to make coffee.

Tristan was sitting at the table, drinking orange juice from the carton and reading. He looked up at Jess' entrance and put his paper down.

"Morning."

"Morning."

"No sign of her yet?"

Jess snorted. "No."

"Jess, what the hell is going on?" He looked at his friend, feeling he'd put up with this without any real knowledge for long enough. Not only was Erin not talking or staying around really, but also Jess wasn't being completely open about this either.

The dark-haired man shrugged and continued making coffee.

"No, seriously. Cut the shit. We got roped into helping you out, which I don't mind, but you owe us that much. She fucking someone else?"

Jess shook his head, "That would at least make sense."

"I don't get it then, man."

Jess sighed, "You don't want to, trust me."

Tristan gave him a puzzled expression. Jess leaned against the counter, wondering just exactly how bruised he'd be after this conversation.

"She—she thinks I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?"

Jess caught Tristan's eye before answering. "Rory."

Before Tristan could respond to him, both men turned to hear the sound of something breaking. Rory was bent down in the hallway, awkwardly trying to pick up the pieces of a broken mug that lay shattered on the ground in front of her.

When Ella opened her eyes, she was staring into someone else's. A very awake Billy gave a nervous smile, which she returned.

"Morning," he said, his voice deeper and a little thicker than normal, as if there were remnants of the night's sleep in his throat.

"Morning," she paused, "I wasn't snoring, was I?"

He shook his head, and held in his laughter. "Why?"

"I don't know, I don't normally, but you were awake, and I just thought that maybe I was doing something strange to cause you to be awake and looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're holding back a laugh," she accused.

"You were babbling."

"So?"

"So, you're cute when you babble."

Her blue eyes opened a little wider in surprise, making her look very innocent. She usually had a comeback for everything, showing no sign of anyone's words getting to her. He wondered if early morning hours was her Achilles' heel. He let out a smile, feeling braver (though he wasn't sure if it were because of her softer side showing through or the fact that she was still lying half on top of him). He saw that fire in her eyes, like she had something else to say, but he quickly moved his hand from its resting place on her hip, up to her cheek.

Again, she flashed him her wide eyes, as if she knew it spurred him on, and he gently pulled her face to his. He kissed her softly and briefly—perhaps it would have lasted longer if Luke hadn't cleared his throat right at that moment. The two teens quickly looked up to see him standing on the last step of the staircase, arms folded over his chest as he surveyed the situation.

"I'm not dating Bree."

"Bullshit."

"Will, I swear to you, I'm not."

"Dave, Anna and I followed you last night, we saw you."

"You followed me?"

"It was supposed to be a stupid prank. Little did I know, my best friend was betraying me."

"Speaking of which, where did you have Anna all night? I mean, you tell me that there's nothing going on with you two, but then you have her out all night, and drunk when you get back?"

"She isn't drunk. A little tipsy, maybe."

"Answer me."

"New York. We hit some fun clubs, danced, to blow off some steam. We both needed it, that's it."

Will looked with interest at Dave. He offered details, now he expected the same.

"You know what? My word should be enough for you."

"If you aren't dating her, why would you even be there with her?"

Dave sighed, and sat down on the couch. He realized no matter how much he'd avoided this, now he had to tell Will the whole story.

"She called here, a week after you broke up. She needed help moving, she was crying, saying she needed you, she wanted to get you to talk to her, she didn't know what to do without you—all this stuff, that I didn't want you to have to deal with. I offered myself instead, to help her move into her new place, on the stipulation that she quit calling you. She swore to me that she would, so I went over there."

"She's been showing up and calling, still," Will pointed out.

"Well, I know that now she was lying—and yes, I should have known better. After all, she's insane. But the point is, I was helping her move into her new apartment and met Mallory, her new roommate. Who isn't crazy," he added with a smile.

Will looked at him, obviously trying to take in all this information. "So, you're dating Mallory?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me because?"

"Bree really worked you over. I thought I was stopping her from bugging you, then afterwards, I felt bad having helped her and not telling you in the first place—I just couldn't tell you."

Will sat next to his friend, a little stunned. Dave looked at him and waited.

"Oh."

"All of that, and all I get is an 'Oh'?"

"I'm sorry, I just saw her, and I assumed. . . the worst."

"I probably would've, too," he nodded. "Are you sure there's nothing going on with you and Ann?"

Will took a pillow from the couch and tossed it at Dave's head. Dave smirked and stood up, shaking his head as he walked down the hall to his room. Will let out a long breath and leaned back on the couch to get some sleep.

"Let me help you," Tristan moved to help his wife pick up the shards of mug.

"No, no, I've got it, I," she looked up, catching Jess' eye before looking back down quickly.

"Shit," Jess muttered under his breath.

"No, everyone, just calm down. Tristan, go back to the table, and I'll get this. I just, I smelled coffee, and I came down—I didn't mean to overhear," she babbled.

"Rory, there's no truth in Erin's assumptions," he offered.

She dumped the broken remains in the trash, and then waved a hand of dismissal at him.

"Of course there isn't. I mean, other than familial bonds," she nodded.

"Jess," Tristan started.

"Tristan," Rory warned.

"Jess," he ignored his wife's tone and continued, "Why would she think it?"

"I don't know. I mean, I've always stayed close with Rory, and I think that since she knew that there was a past there, she thought I wanted there to be a future there? I don't know. I mean, she really wanted to take that job in California, I think she's looking for a way out that doesn't make her the bad guy."

"So she thinks it's a great fucking idea to bring Rory into this? There are families and lives going on here that she's willing to disrupt for her personal pleasure?"

"Trust me, there is no pleasure in this for her."

"Where did she go?" Rory piped up.

"Dunno, either home, or to her folks' house, probably."

Tristan tapped on the table impatiently, hating the feeling building up inside him. He'd never let the idea of Rory's past boyfriends become an issue, but he couldn't help but want to rip out the throat of one of his best friends at the very mention of his being in love with her. He even knew better, but the visual became very real for a moment.

"Tristan?" Rory's hand when to his arm, knowing his pissed-beyond-the-point-of-redemption expression.

"I'm fine. I just, need a run. I'll be back," he kissed her cheek and went upstairs to change.

Rory sighed and looked at Jess, who simply put a cup of coffee in front of her before slumping down in a chair himself.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

Ella came downstairs after her shower, passing the 'Sorry' marathon currently going on in the living room by those waiting for shower privileges. She kept going, however, as she smelled coffee coming from the kitchen. Not just any coffee—this was Lorelai's own brew. Strongest stuff on the face of the earth. Capable of putting hair on your chest, as Luke always says. Which never fails to make Lorelai to scrunch up her nose in disgust.

"Hey, Els, want some?"

"Thanks, Gramma," she nodded as Lorelai poured her a mug. She sat her own down and looked at her only granddaughter, and a mischievous smile formed on her lips.

"So, I hear the slumber party got a little NC-17," she opened.

"Gramma," she groaned, pleading for her to stop.

"Now, I won't tell your dad, but I'm going to need details. Lots of them."

"There aren't any details—Billy kissed me, then Luke came down and woke everyone up. End of story."

Lorelai knew better. Her granddaughter was blushing, just as Rory used to do. Normally Ella took after Tristan socially. A whirlwind of suitors that never unhinged her—or even caused her to bat an eyelash. This girl's reaction was much more akin to Rory's behavior in the love department—babbly and flushed.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, pretending to believe Ella, "So, you like him?"

&&&&

"He's been running for over an hour," Jess commented, causing Rory to look up from her paper. Neither had spoken since Tristan's departure.

"He does that."

"It's raining."

Rory sighed. She knew Tristan was pissed off. She knew that Jess knew it as well. She just really didn't want to talk about it.

"Rory, look at me."

She obeyed his request, her eyes freely offering up the information that she didn't speak.

"I'm sorry," he said genuinely.

She nodded. "I know," she said quietly. "But, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Was she right?"

He sighed, like only he could. His eyes narrowed a little, making her feel like he was sizing her up—deciphering exactly how much information she could handle. Or how much of himself he was willing to give.

"It's complicated."

"Then explain it to me," she demanded, hating the on-edge feeling that was welling up inside of her.

"Rory."

"Come on. We've driven our spouses away. It's just us. Explain it to me," she said again, crossing her arms over her chest.

"About her thinking I'm in love with you?"

"That would be a good place to start."

"At the restaurant, right before she said it, I was watching you and Tristan dance," he paused, then began again slowly, " I just kept thinking about how in love you two are, and wondering when Erin and I lost that. It's always been so easy for you, but she and I had to work harder at it."

She nodded, but didn't interrupt.

"She said I wouldn't go away with her until you asked me to. . . She's just grown more questioning of any time we spend together."

"Do you love her?" Her question was simple, her tone remained very even.

"In a way."

"Do—do you love me?"

"In another way."

"Jess," she admonished his vague response.

"Rory, no one could replace what you are to me. You were the first person I was ever in love with. I think that she feels that she's getting less of me because of that. But we have a life, and kids together. Neither in my mind is replaceable."

Rory nodded again. She'd never gotten the feeling over the years that Jess wanted more with her than the close friendship they had. Their relationship was so close, in part, because they'd dated. For her, once Tristan re-entered her life, she knew without a doubt he was the love of her life. They have what Jess and Erin have—or at least, had.

"Jess, should I do something, say something to her?"

"Rory, this isn't your problem. I appreciate your concern, but this is something she needs to work out. You guys have done enough."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, now looking into her coffee.

"I'm going to take the train down to New York, to look for her," he raised his hand to block any protest, "You and Tristan stay another day alone and have fun. I'll meet you guys back in Stars Hollow."

She gave him a genuine smile, knowing he was thinking of her despite being in pain himself. He turned to go upstairs, and she called out to him.

"Jess?"

"Mm?"

"I love you, too."

He smiled, nodded, and continued on into the other room.

&&&&

Anna had never felt so incredibly well rested. Seeing as she hadn't really slept in over a week, this had been the first consecutive few hours in a row she'd managed to stay asleep in what seemed like forever. She was only mildly surprised that she was in Will's bedroom, and that it was broad daylight outside. She remembered the events of last night, being with Will always put her in a good mood. Smiling even more, she reburied her face in the pillow. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the fact that Will's scent seemed to be enveloping her senses.

"A-HAH!"

She gave a jump, sitting upright in the bed to see her brother standing in the doorway, his finger pointing accusingly. Her cheeks blushed violently, but she tried to ignore that fact.

"Go away, Dave."

"You know, the more you protest, the more I see you do stuff like this."

"Shouldn't you be at Lamaze classes with your girlfriend?"

"What?"

"God, Dave, dating Bree? That skank-bag? Especially after what she put Will through? I mean, he's the sweetest guy in the whole world, but did she care? No, she just—what? Why are you laughing?"

"Ann, I'm not dating Bree. I talked to Will already. I'm dating her roommate, Mallory. Who, by the way, doesn't much care for her, either."

"But . . . I thought," she managed.

"Do you even hear yourself talk about him? 'Cause it's starting to make me nauseous."

"Shut up! We're just—,"

"If you say friends, I'll go running around town, yelling, "Anna loves Will!" he challenged her.

Realizing Davey would do such a thing, all that was left for her to do was pout a bit. He ran a hand over her head and mussed her hair.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him," he promised, "But you really should."

&&&&

After Lorelai released Ella from the interrogation, she picked up the phone and ducked into Will's room, dialing furiously.

"Tristan?"

"Two more guesses."

"Oh, hey, Mom. How are the monsters behaving?"

"Funny you should ask."

"Who did what?"

"Ella. Kissed. Billy!"

"Shut up!"

"And LUKE walked in on them!"

"No way!"

"Way!"

"Oh my god!"

"I know!"

"So, she likes him?"

"She so does. I mean, she denies it, but she's completely acting like you used to."

"What does that mean?"

"She's all blushy and blinky—she's babbling and twirling her hair," Lorelai explained.

"I never acted like that."

"You still act like that, every time I see you and Tristan in a fifty foot radius of each other. It's disgusting."

"Really?" she asked, sounding quite pleased.

"Yeah, really. How's the va-ca?"

"It's not good, Mom. Oh, I think I hear Tristan back form his run. I'll tell you about it tomorrow?"

"Okay, Hun. Don't worry, we've got everything under control here."

"Right. Just make sure I'm not going to be a grandma when I get back?"

"Hmm. I better get back out there."

"You instill me with such confidence. Bye."

"Bye."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

He stepped in the door, soaking wet from just over an hour spent in the pouring down rain. She stood in front of him with a huge towel, as if she'd anticipated this moment all along. He gave her a questioning glance.

"I thought I heard you coming," she smiled.

He returned the smile, and stripped off his wet sweatshirt. She handed him the towel, which he rubbed over his hair a few times before wrapping it over his shoulders.

"You really should get out of those wet clothes," she said, as she ran her eyes down his body.

He nodded thoughtfully, "You're right. I think a hot shower is in order."

Stepping forward, he picked her up at the waist and propped her up over his shoulder, carrying her upstairs with him. It wasn't until an hour later, now clean, satisfied, and lazing about in bed did Tristan find out that they were alone for the remaining duration of their stay. His reaction to this news made Rory sink yet again deeper into the mattress, breathlessly happy.

&&&&

"Hey, Billy, want to go to the school and shoot some hoops?" Jake asked as he and Ambrose headed for the door.

"Nah. I think I'm just going to walk out to the park."

"Alright. Later."

"Yeah, later," he said, nodding to the other boys. He glanced over at Ella before grabbing his own jacket and exiting the house as well.

Ella, who'd been paying close attention to the boys' conversation, stood up from the couch.

"Hey, Gramma, I need to run to the market. I'm out of nail polish."

Lorelai smiled, "Right. Nail polish. Red?"

"Gramma," Ella sighed, hoping she'd at least try to be subtle.

"Have fun."

Ella smiled, turned, and headed out, passing the center of town (and the market) before finally reaching the park. She continued past the old shed that was so dear to her mother, where she used to bring her when they went to feed the ducks when she was little. She heard someone ahead making noise as their feet hit the wooden planks of the footbridge. Smiling, she continued ahead, hoping to find what she was looking for.

Luke looked up from his book five minutes after Ella had left the house. He and Lorelai had been curled up on opposite ends of the couch, both reading.

"Damn it!"

"What?" Lorelai looked at him after his sudden outburst.

"Kid code?"

"Oh, yeah," she stifled a laugh.

"Damn it!"

"You're getting better at it, though. Maybe with our great-grandkids," she patted his knee.

He rolled his eyes, hoping that if Lorelai knowingly allowed these children privacy, they wouldn't do anything too stupid, and went back to reading.

&&&&

Will and Davey sat on the couch, watching The Goonies. They'd probably seen the movie 500 times, but they never tired of watching it. At least they weren't actively quoting the film line for line—it had been known to happen.

Anna came out from her shower, dressed and feeling human again, just as the popular girl tried to play the skeleton piano in the cave. She smiled at the boys, glad that some things never change. She'd thought a lot about Dave's advice to her, but she wasn't sure she could tell Will something like that. Neither of them was ready for a relationship right now, she told herself. She sat in the armchair, half-watching the movie with them.

"Did you sleep well?" Will asked, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, I did, thanks. You didn't have to give up your bed."

"Not a problem," he smiled at her before turning back to the movie.

"So, Dave, when do we get to meet Mallory?"

"Never," he replied, never looking away from the screen.

"Dave, the whole family has to meet her. How long has it been?"

"A couple of months," he shrugged, now looking at his sister who was perfectly happy to talk through the movie it seemed.

"Dave," she stared intently at him.

"Not everyone! I like her, I'm going to ease her into everyone. How about just you first?"

"Hey," Will complained, hitting his friend in the leg.

"Okay, you and Will can go out with us tonight, if that goes well, I'll do Mom and Dad next week."

"Sounds fair."

"Can't believe you were going to leave me out of this," Will feigned hurt.

"Whatever. Just be ready to go at six, both of you."

Will and Anna glanced at each other, happy to have 'won'. Realization that they were in effect double dating with Davey hit both a moment later, sending all eyes back to Astoria.

&&&&

Tristan was lying with his face against Rory's stomach, his cheek on the smooth, flat plane between her hips. His torso was cradled lovingly between her legs. She stroked his hair absent-mindedly. He loved to feel her moving her fingers through his hair, and even more so that she did it all the time without even realizing it.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked, causing him to move so his chin pressed lightly into her abdomen.

"More of the same?" he raised a hopeful eyebrow.

Rory giggled, "Shouldn't we do something else as well, like dinner or sightseeing?"

"I like the sights here just fine."

"Tristan,"

"What? I do," he paused, "Fine. If you need to leave the house, I'm sure we can find something to pass the time."

"Good. But first things first."

He smiled that smile that made her ache before sliding his hands to her hips and trailing kisses down her stomach.

&&&&

Billy was on the footbridge when Ella caught up to him. She slowed her pace before stepping onto the wooden planks.

"Hey," she ventured, mentally slapping herself for the lack of originality in her opening line.

"Hey," he smiled, "Wanna sit?"

She nodded, and sat amongst the fallen leaves next to the red-haired boy. Neither spoke for a beat. He cleared his throat, feeling the moment stretching too long.

"How long are you guys staying?"

"'Til tomorrow. If Mom and Dad ever get back."

"Where'd they go?"

"Up to the Vineyard house. Something about Uncle Jess and Aunt Erin."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

He looked at her, then back out over the water before asking his next question.

"So, are you, uh, dating anyone?"

"Not anyone in particular."

"I just wondered, I mean, if I should have, you know, earlier."

She smirked at him. "Now _you're_ babbling."

He nodded, praying that her smile wasn't due to her thinking that he was a moron. He noticed her gaze dip down from his eyes to his lips. He leaned forward, encouraged, meeting her halfway as she kissed him. She placed a hand on his chest, and he moved one hand to hold her head gently at the nape of her neck.

When he pulled back, she smiled. "You do that so good," she said softly.

He half-laughed before leaning into her a second time.

&&&&

Six o'clock finally rolled around on Saturday evening, at which time Anna arrived back at the guys' apartment. She'd gone home to change, and Sookie had helped her with her hair; as well as offered to pay her good money to take pictures of Mallory for her. Sookie had been very pleased to hear that Anna had been spending so much time with Will, despite her claims that they were just friends.

Davey let out a low whistle as Anna stepped in the door.

"Damn, you lookin' hot!" he mocked her.

"Bite my ass, Dave," she stuck out her tongue at her brother.

"Alright, kids, separate corners," Will instructed, "But, you do look gorgeous," he added.

Her stomach lurched as she blushed. "Thank you," she managed.

Davey rolled his eyes, their incapacity to see what was happening to themselves physically painful to him at this point.

"In my car, let's go."

"We won't have to see Bree, will we?" Anna asked on the way out the door.

"It's her Lamaze class night," Davey said, as he locked the door behind them. He turned and jogged to catch up with the other two.

"Will, aren't you going to tell me how gorgeous _I_ look?" he joked, then ducked back as both Anna and Will made to smack him before climbing into the car.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

"We're going bowling?" Anna asked incredulously.

"So?" Davey asked, clueless to his sister's cause for disdain.

"I'm not dressed for bowling."

"They give you shoes," he informed her.

"I'm going to give you my shoe up your a--," she threatened.

"Can we think something _else_ to do?" Will interrupted before the sibling squabble turned ugly.

"We could go dancing," Anna suggested.

"I don't dance," both boys chorused.

"Please," she sighed.

"Mini-golf?"

"Dave, again: my shoe, your --,"

"How about ice skating?" Will interjected, "there's that great rink they set up every year outside of New Haven."

"Sounds okay to me," she agreed.

"Yeah, alright," Dave gave in. Luckily the group decided on the activity just as he pulled to a stop outside Mallory's apartment. Before getting out of the car, he turned to face them.

"Just promise to be nice."

"We promise."

"But be honest with me. I mean, Ann, if you two do that weird girl-tandem-bathroom thing, and she tells you that she hates me or is secretly in love with our waiter, you'll tell me, right?"

"Girl-tandem-bathroom thing?" Will asked, looking blankly at Anna.

"I promise, Dave, now go!" she shooed him.

He nodded and turned to open the door to retrieve Mallory. Will, who'd moved to the backseat so Mallory could ride shotgun, pulled his seatbelt across him, but couldn't find the end to secure it into. He reached between the seats, to no avail.

"Troubles?" she asked, clearly amused.

"Damn ghetto car! Where's the other end?"

"Use the middle one," she laughed at his frustration.

Shaking his head, he did as instructed while muttering under his breath at the car. She just smiled, looking out the front window for Dave to reappear.

&&&&

"So, where are we going?" she asked as she tried to walk as close as possible to her husband. He'd parked the car near the marina, and now they appeared to be headed for the beach.

"You really should learn to _enjoy_ surprises," he chuckled as he continued on.

"But, Tristan, it's freezing, and we're headed for the beach. At night."

"Very astute."

"Gah!"

"Have I ever let you down before?"

"No," she admitted sheepishly.

"Left you cold or unsatisfied in some way?"

"Well, no, but,"

"Then I suggest you look over there," he smiled, pointing down the stretch of beach. It looked perfect, just as he'd requested. A moderately-sized fire, next to an outstretched picnic blanket and basket. He heard a happy squeal before she yanked him behind her, holding onto his hand as she ran over to their destination.

&&&&

His keys turned in the locks to their apartment. It felt strange being alone and knowing that most likely no one would be there to welcome him. The silence that greeted him was almost too much to bear. With two teenagers in the family, there was usually some noise, conversation, or something.

He let out a breath as he let his keys fall onto the table in the entryway. His eyes fell immediately on the note that lay there next to his discarded keys. Erin's handwriting. His name. He picked it up and began to read, her voice filling his head like she were right there next to him.

&&&&

Bundled up and skates rented, the foursome were seated on benches, lacing up their skates. The ice rink was particularly packed, evidently the bowling alleys were all empty this evening. Davey had made the introductions in the car, and the four had made general conversation about majors, job paths after college, but skillfully avoided all Bree talk. Anna laced up her skates and stood up like an old pro. The Melvilles had gone skating a lot over the years, Anna and Lia both taking lessons for a short period of time in their younger years. She walked over to Will, who was still working on making his laces tight enough.

"Uh, leave some room for blood to circulate," she advised.

"I've heard they have to be really tight to support the ankles," he furrowed a brow.

"Well, yeah, but there's secure, then there's amputation."

"Right. Thanks," he said, unlacing the skates and starting over.

"What's he doing?" Mallory asked, standing in her skates next to Anna.

"He's just finishing up. Come on, let's get out there, the boys can catch up," Anna suggested, starting to move to the entrance of the rink.

"'Kay," she agreed, smiling at Dave. Dave smiled back, and then gave his sister a look when Mallory wasn't looking. She smiled a little too happily, causing him to worry as he waited for his friend to finish.

"Aren't you done yet?"

"Shut up, I'm getting there," Will said.

"Anna seems happy, doesn't she? I mean, completely different than just two days ago."

"Yeah, I mean, I guess. She's been enjoying the vacation from school."

"So, is whatever was wrong with her better now?"

"Oh, I don't know," Will lied.

"Will, she told you, didn't she?"

"Dave, let's not get into all that tonight. Tonight is about you and Mallory. Who seems really great, by the way."

"Yeah, she's really cool. Smart, funny," he informed his friend.

"How is she in bed?" Will asked while trying to stand upright.

"Aw, geez," he shook his head, turning away from Will.

"Hey! Help!" Will cried out after his friend as he lost his footing. His arms shot out, hoping to find something to steady himself with. Dave whipped around, and caught Will about halfway down. Will straightened up and composed himself.

"Thanks."

"That's what you get for asking me that."

"Fine. I'll behave," Will promised, holding up his hands, which caused him to teeter a little again.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Let's go find the girls," he said decisively, though looking with trepidation at the ice.

"Sure," Dave said, moving towards the entrance, not sure how much ahead of Will to get.

The girls were on the other side of the rink, Anna showing off a little bit of her skills. She did a simple turn in the air, and added a couple of flourishes.

"Wow, that's so cool! I've always wished I could do that."

"My sister and I took a few lessons when we were younger."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Dave hasn't told you?"

"He talks about his family, in bits and pieces, stories, lots of names thrown in."

"There are four of us kids, then our parents."

"That's all? 'Cause he talks about tons of people, I thought you were one of twelve or something!"

"Oh, well, we hang out a lot with Will's family—his sister and dad's nephew's families. They're sort of like our cousins. We all grew up together."

"Yeah. At first, I thought Will was his brother. I've heard so much about him, it's nice to finally meet him."

"He and Dave might as well be brothers," Anna laughed.

"So, you're dating him?"

Anna looked at Mallory, somewhat startled. Of course it looked that way to her, she didn't know them at all. Anyone could see that Will thought of her more as a sister, she told herself before answering the other girl.

"Oh, uh, no, we're not, I mean, we've never," she stumbled the words out, stopping completely as Davey and Will skated up to them. Well, Dave skated up to them. Will sort of used the staccato variation of gliding, just along side the wall to make sure he got there in one piece and dry.

&&&&

"How did you do all of this? You were with me every moment!"

"Not while you were in the shower," he corrected her.

"But you were!"

"I got out first, remember?"

"You did all this in two minutes?"

He nodded, while opening the picnic basket. They'd kicked their shoes off, cuddling up on the blanket. He pulled out the food, and began handing things off for her to arrange.

"You know, I almost hate to go back tomorrow. It's nice to just be alone with you," she commented.

"You say that like we never are," he said still pulling out food.

"We've just been so busy lately, with the kids, family stuff, and work. It's just that this is nice. I really like you," she said the last part as if it were a secret.

"Well, the night isn't over. Don't think about tomorrow quite yet," he leaned over to kiss her gently before handing her silverware. They ate, talked and laughed, but she looked around when they finished their meals.

"What?"

"Where's dessert?" she frowned, trying to peer into the basket.

"There is none," he said simply.

"I'm sorry, have you lost your mind?"

"I have something better in mind," he smirked.

"Better than chocolate?"

He nodded.

She narrowed her eyes, not quite sure she believed him. In almost twenty years, he'd never once denied her dessert. But he was smiling, and surely the option of bodily harm wouldn't make him so happy.

"Are you cold?"

"A little," she shrugged, still eying him carefully.

"Then, come here," he said, pulling her closer to him. He looked into her eyes, noticing they still shone as they did when he first met her at age sixteen. It'd been those eyes that propelled him to do almost every irrational and impulsive thing he'd ever done: breaking into a safe, changing colleges, proposing marriage, buying a house, having kids—none of which had been planned out, and all he can remember thinking about during the process of all of it was her eyes. He knew every single last detail about them. She probably just believed that he was impulsive by nature, which was true, but she had no idea how much she spurred him on. Like helping her live out fantasies such as having sex on the beach, that she reluctantly revealed to him. Or just how much he loved every moment of it all.

As their evening went on, he checked in on her. He knew she wasn't cold; no one could voluntarily be in that state of undress and be too cold. Their clothes were thrown hastily in the sand, and he dipped his head down next to her ear.

"Still disappointed?" he breathed, the hot air tickling her neck.

"Never," she answered, shivering not from the cold, but from the way he continued to touch her. He got his wish for the day, still giving her what she wanted. She got out, and he still got to make love to his wife.

&&&&

When Jess pulled up and got out of the car, the first person he saw was his daughter. She was sitting out on the front porch, reading. Trying to put a smile on his face for his daughter, he sat down next to her on the porch.

"Whatcha' reading?"

"The Bell Jar," she held it up for him to see.

"How festive," he joked.

"Where's Mom?"

He pulled his daughter to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Dad? Where is she?" her voice teetering on the brink of tears.

"She's with your grandparents."

"She coming back?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure, kid. I'm not sure."

"Oh."

"You can ask me any questions you want, you know that, right?"

"I know."

"Even if I don't want to answer, or it's hard for me, you can still ask."

"Okay."

"Wanna head in? It's cold, and late."

"Can we go back to the Dragonfly tonight?"

"Sure. Where's your brother?"

"He's with Jake, watching movies."

He nodded. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

"Lia went home after dinner. Ella's been in Will's old room on the phone all night."

"Luke and Lorelai?"

"Kitchen, last I looked."

"Alright. Come on, let's go get your brother and get some sleep."

Jules nodded, standing up, ready to follow her exhausted looking father.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" he asked, surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him fiercely.

"It'll be okay," she whispered.

Tears stung his eyes, but he held them in, not wanting his little girl to see him cry. He kissed the top of her head, and kept an arm around her as he led her into the house.

AN: This was the chapter that wouldn't end. Not that I'm complaining. I started writing at work, and when I came home early and had nothing else I could do (I've been stranded on my couch with a pulled muscle all evening), I wrote and wrote and wrote. More ASAP, I promise. Thanks to everyone who is so religious about reviewing, you guys not only inspire me to churn this stuff out, but it really picks me up when I need it some days. (Blows kisses to you all.) Thank you.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

AN: Wow, you guys with the reviews—it still makes me smile to see all the things you have to say. I'm especially happy about those of you who say you thought I'd taken on too much, but are rethinking it now. I am glad it's so clear and the story lines are making sense. It is what I'd hoped for, after all. Enough of my rambling, on with the story.

They sat around the table, remains of food now forgotten as conversation had long since taken over. Ice-skating had gone well enough. At least until Will fell. He'd been so timid, so careful. He stayed against the wall, until Anna grabbed his hand in attempts to get him to join the group out in the middle of the rink. He let her lead him, attempting in vain to just stay on his feet. It wasn't in the cards, however, and with Anna trying to steady his fall—Will's larger frame brought her down with him. Luckily, he fell backwards, pulling Anna on top of him, leaving her relatively dry and unscathed.

And, of course, no one had let it go during dinner.

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't skate?" Anna asked.

Will groaned, "I'm just a little rusty."

Dave snorted. Will glared at him.

"When was the last time you went?" Mallory asked.

Will shrugged. "I think I was about five. Mom dragged Dad, Rory, and me to a rink in Hartford. Rory tried to show me how to skate, but we didn't really stay long. Mom kept falling, and she finally twisted her ankle. Dad took her to the emergency room, and Rory and I spent most of the night in the cafeteria, drinking hot chocolate."

"That explains so much," Anna laughed, "I should have known this had something to do with Lorelai. Did you guys ever go again?"

"Mom wasn't a big fan after that, no," Will smiled.

"So, you're really close to your family?" Mallory asked.

"Oh, yeah. We're all sort of freakishly linked," Will nodded in agreement.

"You'll really have to meet Lorelai and Rory to believe it," Anna agreed. "Lorelai is Mom's best friend, and Rory is Will's sister," she explained to Mallory, who looked slightly confused.

"I see," she looked to Dave.

He sighed. "You really want to meet them?"

"I really do. You've met my folks," she reminded him.

"They're normal," he retorted.

"Hey!" Anna swatted him playfully.

"You're going to say our family is normal?"

"Well, no, but it's not like they're psychotic serial killers or anything. Dad might scare her with some fruit, and she might not be able to walk after Mom feeds her, but they're really relatively safe."

Will laughed, and Mallory looked highly amused at the exchange.

"Scary fruit?"

"Oh, yeah. But it's always tasty," Will assured her.

&&&&

The next morning, Jess was in his room, trying to get back to sleep. It'd been a long night. He'd spent some time with both kids, talking to Ambrose about what was going on, then reading to Jules until she fell asleep. He hadn't done that in years. By the time he got to his room, it was past one, and it was just now seven in the morning. He rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head when he heard knocking at his door. He thought for a moment if he should answer it, but deciding it might be one of the kids, or as unlikely as it might be, Erin, he got up and shuffled to the door.

Standing at his door with a large take-out container of coffee and a paper bag was Luke. Jess scratched his head and stepped back to allow his uncle entry. Neither spoke, they just sat down at the small table in the corner of the room.

"Uh, Lorelai wanted me to make sure you ate, so I brought your favorite Danish," he explained.

"Thanks, Luke."

He nodded. "So, you alone?"

"Yeah. I rented a car to drive back here."

"Where's Erin?"

"Boston."

"Boston?"

"With her folks. I took the train down to New York, and she'd been there—she left me a note."

"A note?" Luke's anger had been just under the surface, but now it threatened to boil over.

Jess nodded, taking a grateful drink of the coffee. "That's good," he commented.

"Jess, what did the note say?"

"That she needed some space to think, that she'd be with her parents for a while."

"And she can't tell you that in person?"

"We had a fight Friday night, and she didn't come home with us. I left the next morning, to find her and give them some time alone. They should be back today sometime."

Luke just shook his head. This isn't how things go. Families don't just leave notes and disappear. When people had lost basic consideration for one another was beyond him. He began pacing, thinking of what he could do to make this easier on Jess and the kids.

"Luke, sit," Jess pleaded.

"Do you need anything? Do you want to stick around here for a while?"

"Can't. The kids have finals in a couple of weeks," he paused, "Thanks, though."

"I just, can't believe she'd do this. Did she say why?"

Jess sighed. She'd been very clear in her note, he just wondered if he could say it out loud. Actually, he wondered when it was going to hit him. He was surprised, to say the least, but hadn't really reacted to the news. He just put down the note and gone to rent a car to get back up to Stars Hollow.

"There is someone else," he said slowly.

"Someone else?"

"This guy she worked with, he transferred out to California, and got them to offer her a job out there as well. She said nothing happened between them, they were just good friends and he begged her to come with them. That was when she started fighting with me all the time, and she was angry that I wouldn't consider moving—then on the trip she accused me of being in love with Rory—which Tristan loved, let me tell you."

"She what?"

"You heard me right," Jess looked full on at his uncle.

"So, she wants to be with this guy?"

Jess shrugged. "She said she needed to get away from her life and think about things. She went to Boston, for as long as that takes."

"And you're just supposed to sit around and wait it out?"

"I don't know."

"Geez."

Jess just nodded, and picked at his Danish.

"So, you need to leave today?"

He nodded again.

"What about the kids?"

"I'm not going to tell them about the other guy, unless they specifically ask. They know she's at her folks' house. That's enough for them for now."

Luke nodded, and sat back. He had no words for his nephew, and he had no idea how he must be feeling. What he was being put through was unfair, that he knew, but he had no way of making it better. Not for him or for the kids. All he could do was be there for them.

&&&&

"We're home!" Rory called out as she entered her mother's house. Tristan came in just behind her, ready to collect the kids and say goodbyes.

"Hey!" Lorelai called, coming in out of the kitchen. "How was the trip?"

"Oh, Mom, it was great!"

"What about Jess and Erin?" she whispered.

"Not good, later," she whispered back, motioning to Jake and Ella, who were watching television on the couch.

"Ambrose will just tell me later," Jake informed them, turning to look at his parents.

Rory gave him a look, and turned back to her mother.

"So, where's Will? I want to say goodbye."

"I'll call him. Luke's at the Dragonfly, so maybe we can all convene there for goodbyes."

"Alright. Hey, you two, get your stuff," she instructed, causing Jake to get up and head down to the extra bedroom.

Noticing her daughter not moving, she went and sat down next to her, seeing that she was painting her nails.

"Peach?"

Ella nodded, blowing on one hand to dry them faster.

"That's different."

"Felt like a change."

"I like it."

"Thanks," she smiled at her mom.

"So, tell me about the boy."

"Fink!" she cried to her grandmother, who was on the phone with Will.

"So, tell me about the boy," Rory tried again, putting her arm around her daughter.

"What boy?" Tristan asked, concerned now and moved to sit in front of them on the coffee table.

"Daddy," she groaned.

"Billy Melville," Rory explained.

"I _knew_ it! I told you!" he said to Rory.

"Tristan get a hold of yourself, seriously," she giggled.

"Did that punk try something?" he asked Ella, to which she rolled her eyes.

"It's Billy, honey, not some ruffian," Rory also rolled hers, "They just kissed. At least, last I talked to Mom. You did just kiss, right?" she asked, trying not to sound freaked out.

"Geez. Yes, Mother, we just kissed."

"How come he gets 'Daddy' and I get 'Mother'? That hardly seems fair," Rory put out her bottom lip a little for effect.

"You know, you two are always all over each other, why are you so concerned about me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, we're married, and she made me work to even kiss her, I'll have you know."

"Phhfff," Rory exclaimed. "I would hardly call that work," she reminded him.

"Military school was work," he smiled.

"Piano bench, my dear," she led him back.

"Oh. Right. Well, that wasn't fun, either."

"Thanks."

He rolled his eyes this time, before looking at his daughter. "So, what is the deal here? Are his intentions honorable?"

"You guys are so dramatic. We kissed, we didn't get engaged," she said, moving to stand up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get my stuff, like you asked."

Rory and Tristan shared a look as she walked off to get her stuff. He leaned closer, conspiratorially.

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?"

"Well, you sort of distracted me. You had me going with the whole 'leave the world and your worries behind' thing!"

"Man. Anything else you'd like to tell me? Do we have any other children? Is Jake working for the government?"

"Tristan, please. It's just a kiss. She's kissed boys before."

"I know," he said bitterly.

"You're so cute. Do you not remember what you were like at her age?" she raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for his response.

"That's just how boys are!"

"Jake isn't like that!"

"Jake's only fifteen. Plus he takes after you, and you were a pr--," he started, but stopped, thinking better of his choice of words. He saw the look on her face, and suddenly the possibility of sleeping on the couch tonight was very high.

"I mean, you were, uh, you know, selective," he tried.

"Uh-huh."

"Faithful to the small town boys you dated."

"Sure."

"How much trouble am I in? I didn't actually say it," he cringed.

"Don't worry, you can make it up to me," she said, standing up now that the kids were ready to get into the car. Lorelai grabbed her keys as well, ready to meet them over there to say goodbye to everyone. Tristan sighed, standing up and following everyone else out the front door.

&&&&

Will hadn't slept at all last night. They'd all gotten along so well, and he was truly happy for Dave. Mallory seemed like a good match for him. Bree had been avoided altogether, and they'd all had a good time. All the talk of their families being so intertwined as it was explained to Mallory, it made him think of Anna and how she still hadn't told anyone of her situation. She had to leave for school today, and he hated to think that she had to go back all alone with that still haunting her. When his mother called, he realized it was late morning, and he hadn't slept at all. Sighing, he got up to go meet his sister at the inn to say goodbye. He stumbled out into the hall, seeing Anna first thing in the kitchen.

"Morning," she said distractedly, going back to her paper.

"Morning."

"What are you up to?"

"Going over to the inn to say goodbye. Wanna come?"

"Nah, I have to get my stuff ready for school."

"Right. Listen, Ann, can I see you before you leave?"

Her heart could have stopped right there. He looked serious, and all she could think of was how Mallory assumed they were dating. All weekend, people had been planting the seeds of them being together in her mind, and now it was like a filter she saw the world through. She looked at him, and nodded.

"Uh, yeah. I'll come by on my way out of town."

"Great. I'll see you later, then," he said as he moved back to get ready to head to the inn.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

Rory knew the hug was most likely considered excessively long at this point, but she didn't care. No matter how old she got, or the reasons behind it, she hated leaving her mother. It never got easier. She knew she'd probably see her in a couple of weeks, and then again for another stay at Christmas next month. Lots of visits close together were definitely a plus of the holiday season. She pulled back a bit, smiling at Lorelai.

"You just got here," Lorelai complained.

"You sent me off to Martha's Vineyard!" she reminded.

"You think he'll be okay?" she eyed Jess.

"We'll make sure Jess and the kids are fine," she said adamantly.

"Hey, did Jess and Tristan iron out their issues from what Erin said?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"Danger, Will Robinson," she said, pointing Rory's attention back towards Jess. Tristan was approaching him, and neither woman could read his expression.

"Should I go over there?"

"Nah. They're adults. If they start a slap-fight, we'll break it up."

"Deal," Rory had to laugh at her mother's choice of words, as they continued to watch the exchange unfold.

&&&&

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So, she didn't come back."

It wasn't a question, just a keen observation. Plus it was all Rory and her mother had been talking about on the phone all morning.

Jess shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he offered.

"Tristan, she explained a little more to me. There's another guy, she worked with him—anyway, he was the reason she wanted to go to California."

"She's cheating on you?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I guess I'm not sure. She said nothing really happened, he just made the offer, wanting them to be together. . . I don't know. But I think she was trying to make her thoughts okay by looking for ways to blame me for doing the same thing."

"Projecting."

"What?"

"Psycho-babble term. She was projecting her own insecurities onto you, making her feel justified in her own neurosis."

"Right," Jess rolled his eyes, "I mean, I guess what I want you to know is, I don't love Rory," he thought for a moment, realizing this was probably never going to sound completely right. "Well, I do, just not in the sense that makes you want to take me out to the wood chipper."

Tristan smirked, "Ah, you know me so well."

Jess smiled as well. "So, we're good?"

"We're good."

"Should we hug or something?"

"Think we could get away with a smoke?"

Jess noticed Rory and Lorelai inconspicuously watching them. Well, they'd probably thought they were being inconspicuous.

"I'd say probably not."

"You guys going to be okay?" Tristan asked, turning serious again.

"We'll be fine. She's in Boston, thinking. Jules and Am seem to be taking it okay."

"Call us, either of us, if you need anything. At all."

Jess nodded, happy for the support he knew he had. "Thanks. I will."

&&&&

Billy jogged up to the front lawn of the inn, glad to see that the large group was still saying their goodbyes. He was trying to ignore the feeling of dread in his stomach, and nervously approached Ella, who was talking to Jules.

"Ella, hey," he got her attention.

"Hey, Billy," she smiled, then turned to Jules. "See you tomorrow?"

Jules nodded, smiling at the two. She'd listened to Lia drone on and on about the crush Billy'd developed. She knew what it was like to have a crush on one of the Dugrey's and was happy that he was doing something about it, after all this time.

"So, you're leaving?"

"Yep. Got school tomorrow," she said, moving a little closer to him. He could smell her shampoo, and the faint scent of coffee. He didn't care how many adults were around, as he knew his opportunity to kiss her was slipping away by the moment. He put his arms around her, and kissed her. She responded, and he pulled her closer to him, one hand in the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades. She was so happy he'd come to see her off. They'd talked the night before about everything imaginable. After their meeting on the bridge, he'd called her and they'd stayed up late into the night talking about college, life, music, movies, and basically everything except the fact that she lives in New York and he in Connecticut.

When the kiss ended, she looked into his eyes.

"Call me?"

He nodded. She smiled and gave him one last quick kiss before turning to rejoin her group.

"Ah, shit," Tristan sighed.

"Want me to break his legs?" Jess mocked.

"You think it's funny now, but wait 'til it's Jules kissing some guy like that."

"Ella knows how to cripple a guy that's bugging her, I made sure," he assured Tristan, "Obviously, that was welcomed."

"See, I was feeling better until that last part."

Jess shook his head, patting Tristan on the back. As Ella approached, he whispered into his goddaughter's ear.

"Good luck."

Ella gave him a look, then glanced at her father. Her eyes widened and she scurried over to hug her grandmother one more time before they took off.

&&&&

Both cars finally pulled away, leaving Will, Luke, and Lorelai alone. Luke put his arm around Lorelai supportively, knowing she hated the goodbyes.

"What are you up to today? How about dinner with your old parents?"

"Uh, sure. I just need to run home first."

"Why?"

"Anna's leaving. I wanted to say goodbye."

Lorelai's face clouded over with concern. "How's she doing? Did she tell you what's bothering her?"

Letting out a sigh, he nodded. "But I can't tell you. She's not dealing with it very well, I'm afraid."

His parents nodded, knowing he never gave up other people's secrets. Lorelai had often tried to get him to crack in his youth, with no results. She joked that she had no idea who instilled her children with their values.

"Just, come on over to the diner when you're ready," Lorelai instructed her son, rubbing her hand over his arm encouragingly.

He nodded, and left as well. Luke turned to Lorelai.

"I should get to the diner."

"Yeah, I have paperwork to catch up on here," she made a face, indicating her level of excitement about the prospect. After days filled with people around her constantly, the idea of sitting alone in her office didn't appeal to her much.

"Go," he nudged her.

"Don't wanna."

"And I thought all the kids had gone," he teased.

"Fine. But no fun for you later," she huffed, turning to go inside.

One arm easily circled her waist, stopping her before she took more than a step. She waited patiently for his next move. He pressed himself into the back of her body, tightening his grip around her waist.

"Got any spare rooms?"

"If not, there's always my office," she managed, pulling him into the inn with her.

&&&&

Will sat on the edge of the couch, flipping through channels at warp speed using the remote control. His foot was bouncing on the floor as well.

"My, my, if it isn't the poster boy for ADHD," Dave commented, coming into the room to join him.

"Did Anna say when she was coming over?"

"No, she didn't exactly. Is that why you're so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

"O-kay. Why don't we turn the TV off?"

Will obliged, and sat back against the couch. Dave moved to sit beside him.

"So, what's bothering you?"

"Remember how upset Anna was when she got here?"

Dave nodded.

"I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Will, did something happen with you two?"

"No!"

"You can tell me, if it did. It's obvious that there's something going on between you."

"Look, for whatever reason, she confided in me. We've just sort of been there for each other this week."

"Okay," Dave relented, "And you can't tell me what is going on with her?"

Will shook his head. "She made me promise."

"You're making sure she's okay?"

"I promise."

Dave nodded. He knew there was no one else he'd rather see with his sister with. They obviously cared deeply about each other. Even if they weren't going to do anything about it.

Hearing her car pull up, Dave moved to the look out their front room window.

"She's here."

Will grabbed a jacket, and began to leave. Dave told him to let her come in, but he said she'd probably want to have this conversation in private. He reached the car just as she was unbuckling her seatbelt. He knocked on the passenger side window, startling her a bit, but she unlocked his door. After sliding into the passenger seat, he turned to face her.

"Hey."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Thanks for coming over here before you left."

"No problem. Is there some reason you came down here?"

"Dave's home, I just, thought it best if we talked alone."

"Oh, all right," she struggled to keep her tone of voice even as she could feel her insides starting to betray her. Her stomach was in knots and she felt sort of light-headed.

"Ann, I just want you to know, I couldn't sleep last night, thinking about you," he began, and she honestly thought she was going to pass out.

"How are you feeling?"

"Uh, well," she started, not knowing quite how to respond.

"I mean, have you been able to tell anyone else about what happened last weekend?"

Her heart fell back to a normal rate suddenly, making her vividly aware of the fact that she was crazy for thinking he was saying what she'd hoped he was saying.

"No," she looked down at her lap. "I started to tell Mom last night, but she was just so happy about Davey," she explained.

"I'm glad you could tell me, but I don't have the skills it takes to get you through this. You need to tell someone that can really help you."

"I know."

"And you're going to?"

She hesitated. She wasn't quite sure she could do that, but he wanted to hear that his burden was lifted, she decided. She nodded, mustering up the best smile she could manage.

"Call me, anytime, day or night. I'm just a couple hours drive, I can come be there for you, if you need me."

"Thanks."

He looked at her for a beat. She looked. . . disappointed somehow. He knew she was dealing with a lot, and he suspected that this weekend had allowed her to take her mind off the horror of what happened somewhat. Going back to school had to be hard, after getting away from it all for a few days.

"You sure you're okay to go back? 'Cause you can hang out here for a while."

"Nah, I have to get back and study. Tell Dave I'll call him later, okay?" she said, hoping he'd get out of the car soon. She could feel the heat and stinging hit her eyes, signaling the onset of tears soon.

"I will. Drive safe," he said softly, wanting to hug her, but held himself back. She looked like she might not take it right now. Her body language was very withdrawn, and she didn't meet his eyes. She nodded, and he got out of the car silently, making his way back into the apartment.

Dave looked at him expectantly, pretending not to have been watching the whole scene, waiting for one of them to get over themselves and make out a little. "She gone?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look so good."

"I think I did something wrong."

"What?"

"Anna—she's got a lot on her mind, but I think there's something else bothering her too."

"Huh. Wonder what _that_ could be," he said sarcastically.

Will looked questioningly at Dave, who just flipped on the television and sat back, leaving Will standing there in his thoughts. Shaking his head, he decided a long walk to the diner would do him some good, and headed off to join his parents.

AN: You guys must love it when my workdays are slow. . . I just get to write. As for the solution of me quitting my job and writing. . . well, let me tell you, if this actually paid anything, even five cents, I probably would:) Until then, I'll update as soon as I can, around my life. And we aren't done here, just because Thanksgiving is over, no, no. Got me some more tricks up my sleeve. . .


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.

The ride back to White Plains was fairly silent. Both Rory and Tristan were thinking about Jess, and Jake was concerned for Ambrose. His best friend had shirked off talking about his parents, saying only that at least the fighting might stop. Jake couldn't imagine how he'd feel if his mom just left. It wasn't like his parents didn't fight, but it was really obvious that they knew how to make up as well.

Ella flipped on her cell phone, scrolling through the phonebook. Frowning, she realized she really only wanted to talk to one person, and she wasn't about to do that in a silent car filled with her family members.

"Mom?" She leaned up between the two front seats, her elbows resting on the top of her parents' seats.

"Yeah, Sweets?"

"When are we going back to visit Gramma again?"

Rory smiled, and snuck a look at her husband. Neither of them bought her given reason for wanting to visit Stars Hollow again so soon.

"Aren't you the girl who thought that her life was ending because we had to go out to the 'sticks'?" Rory chided.

"I never get a simple answer, do I?"

"I mean, you should be thrilled, we're headed home. Tomorrow you'll be back amongst your friends, in the big city," she continued.

"Dad?"

"I'm afraid it's up to your mom," he was enjoying Rory's antics. He'd really hoped he would have gone senile before Ella started seriously dating, but at least Rory made it tolerable for him.

"Probably not for a couple of weeks. You guys have finals, and we're both got a lot of work to do next month," she gave in, giving her daughter a real answer.

"Oh."

As much fun as she was to tease, Rory hated seeing the look of disappointment on her daughter's face. She remembered all too well what it felt like to be separated from Tristan during college.

"It'll fly by, Els," she assured her. "You've got finals, and you'll be hearing about Early Decision soon."

Ella smiled, hoping her mother was right. She sat back and tried to space out by watching the cars go past as her father continued on their way home.

&&&&

Jess made the kids flip for shotgun, and Jules won. This basically meant one thing: control of the CD player. What he did find odd was that his kids were being very agreeable. Not that they fought a lot, but confined spaces and music choices were usually enough to push them over the edge. Ambrose handed Jules a CD, and she wordlessly popped it in. He became more suspicious as The Clash began streaming from the speakers. He eyed them—both reading. Either he'd taught them really well, or they were up to something.

Jess turned down the volume on the stereo. Still no response from his Pod-children.

"Guys?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

In stereo response. He inwardly groaned.

"Okay, that's it. What gives?"

Jules looked at her father. "What do you mean?"

"Look, I appreciate the best behavior for poor Dad bit," he began, "But knock it off, it's creeping me out."

"We just thought you had enough to deal with," Ambrose sighed.

"I appreciate the concern, but let me deal with it, okay? You guys have finals. Jules, just focus on catching up a little, and you," he looked in his rearview mirror, "Please don't get me dragged to the Headmaster's office again?"

Ambrose nodded, appreciating his father's choice of words. The three went back to their tasks: the kids reading, and Jess cranking The Clash as he continued on the way home.

&&&&

Will sat down next to his mother at the counter. His father was nowhere to be seen, presumably in the storeroom of the diner.

"Hey, kiddo, want some coffee?" Lorelai asked brightly.

"I guess."

"You okay?"

Will shrugged, not getting up to retrieve his own coffee as he normally did.

"How about a donut? Ruin your dinner?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said, her tone matching his level of seriousness.

"If someone you love is in trouble, and they can't help themselves, you should help them, right?"

"Is this about Anna?"

He nodded.

"Will, how serious is this?"

"It's bad, Mom. She confided in me, but now it's like she's shutting me out, too."

"Aw, Hon, if she's really hurting, she needs you to be there, no matter how much she shuts you out."

"I know, I just don't know what to do."

"Is she in some kind of danger?"

"No, she's not."

"Are you sure, because if she is, no matter what she says, you should tell someone," she urged.

"I'm sure. And I would," he assured her.

"Well, then, short of details, I'd say just be her friend."

"Right. Her friend," he said slowly as his dad appeared, asking what the two wanted to eat.

&&&&

Rory collapsed on the bed after getting the bags in, messages checked, and the mail sorted. Tristan walked into the room, noting his wife's position. She'd landed face down, her legs dangling half off the side.

"You okay?" he laughed, nudging her side with one finger.

"Ihvmph," she uttered into the pillow.

He climbed on the bed and grabbed her hips so he could roll her towards the middle of the bed. Now face up, her arm slung itself over her eyes to block out any light.

"Wanna try that again?"

"Let's never leave the house again."

"Can we confine ourselves to the bedroom and send the kids to boarding schools?"

"Yeah, okay," she shrugged.

"They might have a slight problem with that. And who would feed us?"

"So, we keep them here."

"To cook."

"And work."

"Damn."

"What?"

"Child labor laws."

"Damn government."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," she yawned.

"Hungry?" he asked, smoothing hair off her forehead.

"Sleepy," she said, removing her arm from her eyes.

He smiled at her and nodded. Just as he sat up, the phone rang.

"Not it," they both said.

"The machine'll get it," he reasoned.

"Jess," she muttered.

"What?"

"It might be Jess."

"So, I'll get it?"

She nodded.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" he asked dryly, as he reached out to the nightstand for the phone.

"Dugrey residence."

"Yes, hello. May I speak with Ella?"

'And so it begins,' he thought to himself. Not that boys didn't call to speak with his daughter all the time. But he knew she really wanted to talk to this boy. But that didn't mean he couldn't take his dear sweet time and have fun before she did talk to him. Maybe even change young Billy's mind about wanting to, even.

"It's awfully late to be calling on a young lady," Tristan said, his voice stern. Rory looked up at her husband, trying to swat him with her hand, but he ducked out of her way.

"Yes, sir, I suppose it is, but she'd asked me to call her," Billy explained in vain.

"Well, Ella doesn't exactly make the rules of the house," Tristan informed him. "She is my daughter, after all, and as her father, I've made these rules to protect her."

"Yes, sir," Billy agreed. "So, is it at all possible for me to talk to her?"

"Well, I suppose, assuming she sees fit to come to the phone. Whom may I say is calling?"

"It's Billy, Billy Melville."

"Of course. Just a moment, Billy."

Tristan put the phone to his chest and called for his daughter.

"You are evil," Rory glared at him.

"Please, I'm trying to look out for the best interest of our daughter."

"You're evil, AND you're enjoying your evil ways."

"Dad?" Ella stood in the doorway to her parents' bedroom.

"There's a Billy Melville on the phone for you."

"Oh, you were mean, weren't you?" she said, lunging for the phone, but he held it just out of reach.

"I wasn't mean!"

"Tristan, give her the phone!" Rory admonished him.

"Daddy!"

Grinning, he handed over the phone, and she disappeared into her room before answering.

"Evil," Rory said again, slipping under the covers.

"All in a day's work," he smirked as he made his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth.


	19. Chapter 19

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. (Checks pockets for money). Nope. Not mine.

The kids went back to their normal routines of school and homework, preparing for final exams before classes let out for winter vacation. Parents went about routines of work and holiday shopping while their kids were too preoccupied with school to snoop for presents. Everyone was incredibly busy, including Jess, who on top of work and caring for his kids alone, had to wonder what the hell his wife was thinking. He had picked up the phone so many times, half dialing his in-laws' number, but felt that he'd probably just end up yelling, and hung up again.

It was on this day, day five of the standoff, that he had had enough. This had to end, in some way or another. With just a few weeks until Christmas, and his kids still tiptoeing around him, he needed normality. He needed to know where his marriage stood. He was still at work when he picked up the phone and dialed.

"Rory Dugrey."

"Hey, Ror, it's me. I need a favor."

"Shoot," she said, still typing on her computer as she talked.

"Can I drop the kids off for the weekend?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to go to Boston."

"Boston. Wow. Have you talked to her?"

"No. That would be the going to Boston bit."

"Right. Yeah, drop them off. We'll keep 'em fed and watered and all that good stuff."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Right. Good luck."

"Thanks."

&&&&

That evening, Rory ordered several pizzas, and decided to have a slumber party of sorts. With all four kids on a Friday night, she figured they could use a break from the intense pre-final workload, especially Ambrose and Jules. She loved those kids as if they were her own, and she hated seeing them going through all of this. She honestly couldn't decide whether or not she wanted Jess and Erin to work it all out. On one hand, the kids needed a mother, but not one that would leave at the drop of a hat because she was bored of her life. She couldn't imagine being that irresponsible. Tristan got home, and helped her set up the living room with extra pillows and blankets, and of course a full-on buffet of junk food.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," she said, putting down the large bowl of popcorn.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Just try not to worry about it."

"You don't know me at all!" she feigned hurt. He rolled his eyes and pulled her towards him.

"You guys aren't going to do that all night, are you?" Jake asked, coming downstairs into the living room.

"So what if we are?" his father asked. "Last I checked, your name was no where to be found on the deed to this house."

"Fine, but when you get old and senile, just remember who will be picking out which home you get sent to," Jake joked.

"Yeah, Shady Pines, Ma," Ella chimed in, also coming downstairs, ready for food.

"Such children we've raised," Rory turned incredulously to her husband.

"Horrible demon-children. We should probably start completely over. You know, they'll be gone from here in just a couple of years."

"We could have good kids, ones that will take care of us in our old age," her eyes glistened with excitement.

"They think they're funny, don't they?" Jake asked his sister.

"A laugh-riot," she affirmed, "You guys can't have more kids."

"Says who?" Tristan asked.

"You're old."

"What?" Rory scoffed.

"You guys are too old to have more kids. It would be embarrassing. It's bad enough you're always pawing at each other."

"Aw, honey, how do you think you came along?" Rory pawed at her daughter, in jest.

"Gross."

The doorbell rang, and Jake moved to open the door. "Saved by the bell," he uttered.

Jess was on the other side, Ambrose and Jules with overnight bags in tow. He let them in, and shut the door.

"Welcome to the baby-making factory," Ella said, hugging her godfather.

"The what now? Rory?" Jess asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Well, we have been challenged," Tristan tilted his head to one side, as if in thought.

"Ignore them all. You off right away or do you want to wait for pizza?" Rory asked Jess.

"I should get going. It's getting late," he shrugged.

"Alright. Drive safe," Rory hugged him, and he nodded to Tristan as he turned to leave.

"Do nothing to make them sorry they took you in," Jess ordered his children as he stood in the door, ready to leave.

"Bye," Ambrose said, having come down from throwing his bag in Jake's room.

"Bye," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, everyone get drinks, pizza should be here soon!" Rory called out as she moved to answer the ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Rory?"

"Oh my God! Paris, how are you?"

"Look, Rory, I know it's been a while, but I'm really swamped and have no time to do the idle chitchat right now," Paris told her bluntly. "I need a favor."

"O-kay," Rory drawled, figuring Paris just had to be Paris.

"Look, Jane got into four different colleges out there, and she needs to go tour them to make up her mind. I tried to talk her out of it, telling her that if you've seen one brick and limestone hallowed hall, you've seen them all, but no, she just keeps talking about getting a feel for the place. I swear, Marty put her up to this," Paris droned.

"Paris, what schools?"

"Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Brown."

"Wow, impressive."

"Yeah. Have you heard about Ella yet?"

"They're rolling in. We've got Yale, Princeton, and Harvard, we're waiting for Sarah Lawrence and UNC."

"Tell me she isn't considering UNC."

"Yes, Paris, she's considering them all until she hears from them all."

"Well, there is no way Ivy League schools are going to accept her and state schools aren't."

"Technically, she'd be out of state, so it's a bit harder, but yeah, I'm not worried. Well, I'm worried that she'd choose it."

"So, can you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Take Jane."

"Well, when would she need to come out here?"

"Next weekend. I have her flight information right here, do you have a pen?"

"Paris, what if we have plans? You can't just," Rory started.

"Rory, come on! I can't send her off to stay with my folks! They're freaks. It's bad enough she's got this carefree 'People are good and the world is my oyster' attitude from her father."

"You married him," Rory laughed.

"Well, I didn't say I didn't love him, I'm just saying he's crazy," Paris smiled.

"Right. Well, I guess we can arrange something. Maybe she and Ella can hit some places together, while she's deciding too."

"Great," she paused, "Damn, there's my pager. I'll call you later with details."

"Great," she said sarcastically before her friend hung up.

"Hey, who was that?" Tristan asked, coming into the kitchen with a stack of pizzas.

"Dr. Death," Rory rolled her eyes.

"How is Paris?"

"She's shipping young Jane off to us, to help her choose colleges."

"When?"

"Next weekend. Hope she likes Stars Hollow."

"So, you're going to be able to leave by next weekend?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I can definitely bring what I don't get done with me from work, besides, I think Ella might murder me in my sleep if she doesn't get back soon."

Tristan shook his head and laughed as he opened up the pizza boxes and grabbed a couple of slices for himself as the kids filtered in to get food as well.

&&&&

Will came home after his last Friday class, ready to just relax at home. He'd been going non-stop all week with school, plus he'd agreed to help his mom set up for some wedding this week at the Dragonfly. He hadn't been this tired in a long time. Not only were his days busy, but also he just couldn't rest at night. He worried about Anna. She hadn't answered his emails or returned his calls. He got her roommate a couple of times, but he felt bad for hounding her like this. Tonight, he was just going to forget about everything and relax. He even had the apartment to himself for a while, as Dave was already out with Mallory.

Relaxing on the couch, he called for a pizza and flipped on the television. He'd just about glazed his mind over watching old Seinfeld reruns, when the phone rang. He reached over into the couch cushions where the ringing was emanating from.

"'Lo?"

"Will Danes?"

"This is he."

"Oh, good, Will, this is Sarah. We talked earlier this week, I'm Anna's roommate."

He sat up straight, trying to brace himself for whatever this girl might say.

"I think you should come. I didn't know who else to call, her parents don't seem to be home, and I found your number in her cell phone. Can you come?"

"What happened?" he asked, already pulling on shoes and grabbing his keys.

"She hasn't left her room in two days. I've brought food for her, and offered to do everything under the sun for her, but she won't talk. She's just laying in bed, crying."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just, keep watching her," he instructed, hanging up the phone and heading out the door. He couldn't think about anything other than getting to her as quickly as he could.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: to des06, some feedback. Yes, I am American, and though it's been a while since I did the whole apply to college thing, I have been through it. I did check up on deadlines for early admissions to schools (as i never did that myself), and they are in rough agreement with my story in a general time frame (Each school is different). Jane lives on the west coast, and needs to visit the east coast schools to see which one she likes the best. That's not unusual. I never said their deadline for responding to offers, if you read the chapter. I just introduced whom the girls had heard from thus far. In _this_ story. For plot purposes. Also, if you watch the Thanksgiving episode from season three, you will see that at the elder Gilmore's dinner, Rory is engaged in conversation with an older couple whose grandson had been denied early admission to Stanford—before Thanksgiving. So, let's keep this in mind—it's all fiction. Loosely based on reality. If they can be inconsistent on the show, well, then as I'm going off of that originally, forgive me. On with the story, sorry about the long AN and rant.

Will reached Anna's apartment in just under two hours. He'd been there earlier in the semester, visiting with Dave, thankfully. He ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. Sarah opened the door, looking grateful to see him.

"Thank you so much for coming! I'm sorry to call you out of the blue like that, but I remembered you calling earlier in the week, and you sounded so concerned about her then—I just figured you might know what was going on. She's been in her room for two days. The first day, I thought she was just having a down day, you know? But the second day, well, I just got worried. I called her parents, but no one has called me back. So, I looked up your number in her cell."

Will nodded. "It's no problem, I'm glad you called. Has she said anything to you?"

"No, just to leave her alone."

"I'm going to go try to talk to her. I'll call her brother and parents again after that, okay?"

"You know what's wrong with her?"

Will nodded, taking a deep breath before heading to her room. He knocked gently.

"Go away!" came the response.

"Ann, it's me, I'm coming in," he warned her, opening the door. She was lying on her side, curled up in a ball under the covers. She didn't move upon his entrance, and he moved to kneel next to the bed.

"Ann, come on, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still facing away from him.

"Sarah called me, you've got her worried. She called your folks, too," he informed her.

Anna turned to face him, horror-stricken. "She didn't."

"She couldn't get a hold of them. I'm guessing your dad accidentally deleted the message when trying to play it back—he never did learn how to use that thing, did he?"

Anna didn't smile at Will's teasing comment, but shook her head. "I hope you're right. I can't see them."

"Tell me what's happening."

"I was fine, I really was. I came back, I was going to classes. Then I had to go to the library, for some research materials. I was on my way home, and all of a sudden, I just couldn't breathe. I don't even remember walking home. . . I just lost it, Will. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, I just," she broke down into tears all over again, and from her tear-stained face it was apparent to him that this was nothing new over the last couple of days.

"Ann, I know you don't want to, but I really think it's time to go see someone, a counselor or a nurse at the campus clinic—someone."

She looked into his eyes and shook her head. "I already saw the doctor, they did an exam," she reminded him.

"You need someone to talk to about the repercussions of the rape, not just a physical exam. I'm here for you, anytime, but I've never been in that situation. Maybe they could refer you to some sort of support group or something."

"No, I'd have to talk about it, and I just can't."

He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. He wasn't surprised that she was resisting help. She'd always been very independent, but now it was clear that she needed to reach out. He was determined to make sure she did just that.

&&&&

He knocked on the front door, praying not to see either of his in-laws. She might answer the door, as it was late and she wouldn't expect him to show up. Rubbing his hands together to warm them from the cold Boston winter air, he waited as he saw the hall light flip on.

She definitely looked surprised to say the least. She stood there, mouth gaping, in the doorway.

"Can I come in?"

"Jess," Erin started, but moved back to allow her husband in from the cold.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, after closing the door and following him into the living room.

He took off his jacket and slung it over her mother's couch, out of habit to annoy the older woman. She was a big fan of order and frilly décor. Imposing disorder in her house made his stay just that much more enjoyable most of the time.

"I came to talk. To figure this out," he said honestly.

"Jess, I'm sorry I took off like that. I assume you got my letter?"

He nodded. "Jules and Ambrose deserved more than that. I deserved more than that."

"I know, I'm sorry," she said, hanging her head. "I didn't know what else to do."

"Do you really think I would leave you for Rory?" he asked, needing to know.

"No, I don't."

He swallowed hard. "Are you in love with this guy?"

She shook her head, looking up at Jess. "No, I'm not."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"No!"

"Kiss him? Date him?"

"NO! He's just a friend that I got close with, working with him. He told me he was falling in love with me before he left, then he called with this great job offer. It made me feel important and wanted," she explained.

"I don't make you feel that way?" he asked, her words killing him.

"You used to, I mean, over the years, I guess I've just started to feel more like someone's mother than the woman you married," she said, her eyes filled with tears.

"Erin, I love you. There hasn't even been a woman I've even looked twice at since we've been together. Why didn't you tell me how you were feeling?"

"I felt foolish, I guess. I mean, what was I supposed to say? I asked you to get away with me, but you kept telling me how busy we were, with the kids' stuff and work," she explained. "Then the job offer came, and I just snapped. I wanted it for me. I didn't want to leave you, I love you. I love our kids, and our life. It just all got out of control."

Jess rubbed his temples. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, but he was trying his best to remain calm. She obviously wasn't in the most stable of places, and he desperately didn't want to wake up his in-laws.

"Erin, everyone feels lost in the shuffle at some point. No one in our family thinks you as unimportant. I need you, not only because of the kids, but because I love you."

She nodded, moving closer to him, but he didn't reach out for her. Obviously his speech wasn't over.

"But no matter how lost or doubtful I've ever felt, I would have never did what you've done! Do you have any idea what this is doing to our kids? Not only is their mother vanishing with no explanation, or even a phone call I might add, but I have to cart them off to Rory's while I go chasing after you?"

"Jess," she pleaded for him to stop and listen, but he wouldn't. She'd had her turn to talk.

"How selfish have you become? You aren't the woman I married, not right now. I haven't been able to recognize you at all for the last three months. I came here to figure this out between us, but right now, I just have no more words."

He turned and grabbed his coat, and let himself back out into the cold. She stood there, tears streaming down her face.

&&&&

"So, you're coming back next weekend?"

"Yeah. Mom just informed me that I have to go with some daughter of her college roommate, around to college campuses."

"Oh. So, you won't be around?" Billy's voice was laced with disappointment.

"Well, I was thinking, you could come with. We need to hit the biggies."

"Your fancy Ivy League schools?"

"Those would be them."

"So, colleges I have no hope of getting into?"

"You don't know that."

"I do know that. You've obviously never seen my GPA."

"Well, you can come and hang out with me, anyway."

"I suppose I can swing that."

"Really?" Ella asked excitedly.

"Yeah, really."

There was a brief pause, and both thought of the possibilities of a weekend away together. Granted, they'd be traveling with Jane, but a road trip away from their parents sounded like a step in the positive direction.

"So, where do you want to go?" he ventured into unspoken territory: the unknown of next year. They weren't even officially dating, as they hadn't been out on a real date. They'd just shared a number of amazing kisses. And lots of phone time.

"I'm not sure. I'm thinking either Yale or Sarah Lawrence, though."

"You got into both already?"

"I would have had to have made pictures with the fill-in bubbles on my SAT's to not get into Yale. My great-grandfathers went there, my grandfather went there and both my parents. And they all donate money. They sort of have to take me at this rate. But I'm still waiting on Sarah Lawrence."

"Wow. I think I have those sort of connections with Hartford Community College," he joked.

"You're smart," she encouraged.

"I'm smart about different things."

"Where are you going to school?"

"Well, for those of us not in the early rush, I'm sort of still deciding where to apply. Mostly I'm collecting applications for state schools, though."

"There's nothing wrong with state schools."

"And my SAT scores came back looking like I had made those pictures," he informed her.

"So, take them again. It's not too late."

"It's okay. Look, it's late, I should go. I'll talk to you later, though, right?"

"Right," she said, wondering if she'd said something to upset him.

"Night."

"Night." She hung up and walked back into the living room, where everyone else was held enraptured by E.T. Her mother had the box of Kleenex at the ready, as Rory tended to cry throughout the whole movie in anticipation of the end. Jules held up the corner of the blanket she was sitting under, to let Ella slide under it with her. She did just that, trying to put her phone conversation out of her head.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Okay. I fell down the stairs. Evidently because I'm the queen of gracefulness. So all I can really do is lay here with my grapefruit of an ankle elevated, and type. So, chapters out the wazoo until I heal. Lucky you, huh? I hope so, anyhow.

"Do you remember the time you made me kiss you?" he asked, leaning back against the side of her bed.

"You're making that up," she informed him, lying on her side, looking down at his head.

"I'm not making it up! I was five and you were four. You told me you'd hit me if I didn't kiss you," Will laughed.

"I did not!"

"You did too! We were in your backyard, behind the tree house."

"And you kissed me?"

"Yeah. But you still hit me afterwards."

"You're making this up!"

"I am not," he turned to look at her, clearly amused.

"What made you think of that?"

"I was just thinking about the tree house. It popped into my head. I was so bummed when your dad tore it down."

"Well, we had all sort of outgrown it," Anna reasoned.

"It was our childhood, though."

"I guess so."

He leaned back against the side of the bed, shifting slightly on the hardwood floor. He had no idea what time it was, and knew he couldn't leave until she agreed to talk to someone. She'd stopped crying a while ago, and they'd just been talking for the last little bit.

"Ann?"

"Yeah?"

"What's stopping you from talking to someone?"

"It's embarrassing, and just hard to think about it at all. I feel so dirty; every time I think about it, I just can't imagine anyone else knowing. It was bad enough telling you—I was so afraid you'd look at me differently."

He stood up and sat back down, this time next to her on the bed. He motioned for her to sit up, next to him. She did that, and looked expectantly at him.

"This wasn't your fault. This happened to you, and it was horrible—but you are letting this dirt bag win if you let it take over your life. And lying in bed crying is letting it take over your life. You are stronger than this. Admitting you need help, and talking to people that can help you is strong, not weak."

She nodded, knowing what he said was right. She didn't feel very strong, but she wanted to be. He made her sound like this amazing woman, and it made her almost feel like she could be who he spoke of.

"You're nodding. You'll do it?"

"Will you go with me? I mean, just the first time? Walk me there?"

He nodded. "I'll even find out where you should go, I'll do whatever you need."

He hugged her, and she let him hold her for a while. She felt as if she might melt right into him, and breathed deeply for the first time in days.

"I'm proud of you," he said, hugging her a little tighter.

"Oh my God, it's so late!" she said, noting the time. "Don't you have class in the morning?"

"Yeah. I should go. But I'll come back after class and we'll do this. Okay?"

She nodded, and gave him a weak smile. "Will, thank you."

"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she nodded, as he stood up to leave her. She sat back against her pillows, wondering if she could really go through with this.

&&&&

The next morning, Erin walked into the nearest coffee shop to her parents' house and scanned the patrons, looking for his slightly messy brown hair. She saw him nursing a cup of coffee, and moved to slide into the booth across from him.

"Thanks for calling me."

He nodded. "Coffee?"

She nodded, and he held up his hand, signaling the waitress. She smiled sweetly at him, and poured Erin's coffee without looking at her.

"You need anything else, Sweetie?"

"He's just fine, Honey," Erin quipped, shooing the attractive waitress away.

"Jealous much?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, habit. So, you wanted to talk?"

"Last night, I just had to get it all off my chest. I'm not sure I can get over this, Erin. What you did, I'm not sure it's forgivable."

"I know," she said, looking down into her coffee.

"I mean, how can I be sure that you won't come back just to leave again when you get bored of me?"

"Jess, I," she started.

"Not that you've even told me you want to come back!"

"I do," she said emphatically.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Why?"

"What? Because I love you, and I miss the kids," she listed.

"Why haven't you called?"

"I thought they wouldn't want to talk to me," she said quietly.

"Well, they did."

"Oh."

He sighed. "There's just one thing I can't understand. If you loved me, why didn't you come to me? After all that time, when we first got together, about you 'teaching' me to come to you with my thoughts, concerns, feelings—you just didn't feel like it when it came to you?"

"I can't explain it to you. I just lost myself."

"And you've found yourself now?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Maybe," he sighed, taking a moment before looking back into her eyes. "Maybe you should go to California."

"What? You can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious. Do it right, talk to the kids. We'll call it a trial separation."

"This is what you want?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"I think this is what you need. Find whatever it is you need. When you do, call me."

He set his jaw, having said his peace. She just nodded, looking out the window.

"Can I come by tonight?"

"It's your home," he responded, throwing money down on the table and leaving.

&&&&

Rory was trying to get marshmallow out of the carpet. One would think she would know better than to start a food fight during a screening of Animal House, but no. And as she had started it, she was stuck trying to get the sticky substance out of the new carpet.

"Having fun?"

"You know, if you hadn't provoked me, I wouldn't have had to throw that marshmallow at you," she raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"I've never provoked you!"

"Hah!"

"Well, maybe once or twice," he grinned devilishly.

"Maybe," she rolled her eyes.

"Any word from Jess?" he asked, sitting down on the couch to watch her work.

"Yeah. He's coming for the kids as we speak."

"He mention anything?"

"No. He said he didn't want to talk about it. He sounded bad, though."

Tristan nodded. He felt bad for his friend, and he wished he could do something to help out, other than just take the kids. He knew it was pretty much all they could do though.

"HAH! I am the victor!" she cried, successful in removing the goo from the carpet.

"So, Vic, what are you going to do to celebrate?"

"Hmm. Smores?"

"Or we could retire upstairs for a little mid-day romp," he smiled.

"We're not having another kid, Tristan," she warned him.

"What? A challenge is a challenge."

"Do you want me to remind you how old you are?"

"I know how old I am."

"Do you want me to tell you how old you'd be when this hypothetical child graduated high school?"

Tristan winced. "Not so much."

"I thought so."

He stood up, moving towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"To start the Smores," he called, causing her to smile and follow him into the kitchen.

&&&&

Will rushed back to pick Anna up, straight after his Saturday morning lab. He'd looked up the closest rape survivors group on her campus, and had the information shoved in his jacket pocket. He knocked lightly on the apartment door and waited, hoping she hadn't changed her mind. She opened the door herself, looking much more like herself. She had obviously showered and dressed, and her face wasn't tear-streaked.

"Hey, ready to go?"

She nodded, but didn't move to come out to join him.

"I uh, got the information," he said, handing it to her to look over.

"On the website, it said you didn't have to talk, you could just observe," he continued, as she was still silent. She looked up from the paper in her hands and nodded.

"Okay. Let's go." Her voice was determined and she pulled the door shut behind her as she followed him down to his car.

&&&&

"Wow. Good to hear that Paris is still a nutcase," Lorelai laughed, after hearing Rory tell her of the phone call and the new addition to their plans for going to Stars Hollow the next weekend.

"All I have to say is Marty is a brave, brave man," Rory agreed.

"Speaking of brave men, any word from Jess?"

"Yeah. Uh, Erin left."

"She's in Boston you mean?"

"No. California. He told her to go, and she got her stuff last night, and left."

"Ohmigod. You're kidding me!"

"Nope."

"Poor Jess! Does Luke know?"

"I don't know. He called here earlier, and he didn't say much, just that she came by. He'd gone to see her, and left the kids with us the night before. This is such a mess."

"What a nerve she has!"

"It's still a little weird, to hear you on Jess's side," Rory smiled, hearing her mom sound so upset for him.

"It's been like twenty years, Rory."

"I know. I still get a kick out of it."

"Well, glad to entertain you so. Hey, he's coming next weekend, too, isn't he?"

"I thought so, but I'm not so sure now."

"I'll have Luke call him. He shouldn't be alone right now."

"Yeah. Tristan will probably have Jess help him tail the kids," she giggled.

"They wouldn't," Lorelai laughed.

"Well, we haven't ever let Ella just go off on a road trip like this before, and that boy calls here every night. They talk for-ev-er," Rory drawled out.

"How cute!"

"Tell that to Tristan."

"Aw, what does he know?"

"Right. It's just his kid," Rory joked.

"He doesn't remember what it was like to be in Billy's position?"

"Hey, I'm pretty sure you were the only scary parent Tristan ever encountered. All the others were pretty non-existent."

"I wasn't scary!"

"Mom! You put the fear into all of the guys I went out with!"

"I was sweet to them! I was nice to Dean, remember how nice I was to him?"

"Not at first! You hated him! And Jess, you hated Jess, even before we really dated," she listed.

"But I grew to love them all, that's the important thing, here, really."

"You only grew to love Jess because he's family. And Dean because you knew he'd never do anything to make you upset with him."

"Well, my reasons for being the caring, considerate woman I am aren't important," Lorelai laughed.

"Okay. And on that note, I'll talk to you later, Mommy Dearest," Rory laughed, as they got off the phone and she went off to join Tristan in the kitchen, to help out with dinner.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Thanks for the kind words, and as always, for the reviews! I've been a little knocked out by pain meds, lol. Here's another installment for you all!

A week went by, and it was time once again for the great Christmas migration. Rory and Ella were heading off separately, to pick up Jane before joining the rest of the group in Stars Hollow. Paris had called several times a day for the last few days, with recommendations of tours for the girls to make sure they attend, which days would be best to hit which colleges, and basically trying to schedule every second of their trip for them. Micro-managing was one of her great skills, after all. Rory told her not to worry, as the girls would get a good feel for the campuses and have a little fun now that finals were over with.

"You don't think Paris will actually come out with Jane, do you?" Ella worried as her mother drove towards the airport.

Rory giggled. "I'm sure she threatened to, but she is way too busy at the hospital."

"Well, you shouldn't have let her talk to Dad."

"Tristan just likes to egg Paris on. He has to get his kicks somehow."

"She seems so strict," Ella added.

"Paris just wouldn't know fun if it bit her in the ass," Rory explained. "She was born with that stick lodged, I think."

"You and Dad went to high school with her?"

"Yep. What a pleasure that was, let me tell you."

"And she really liked Daddy?"

"She did. They even went out on a date once," Rory smiled.

"I can't see Dad with someone like her."

"He couldn't either. Hence, the one date."

"She asked him out?"

"Actually, I convinced him to ask her out," Rory explained.

"But, you liked him, didn't you?"

"It's sort of a long story, Els," Rory said, giving her daughter a pleading look.

"I've got time, Mom."

"Well, it was sort of complicated. Your Dad and I didn't date until college."

"But he liked you in high school. He told me," she crossed her arms, still probing her mother for information. She'd heard the stories of them getting together, but they didn't talk a lot about their high school days.

"He annoyed me. I thought he just liked giving me a hard time, plus the whole school knew Paris had a thing for him. She was just sort of scary, and I didn't need more reason for her to hate me. And besides, I had a boyfriend most of the time we were at Chilton together."

"The bagboy?" Ella asked.

"Dean," Rory corrected, rolling her eyes at Tristan's obvious coaching of their child.

"Whatever."

"Anyway, after Dean and I broke up, your father and I ended up at a party, and we kissed. After which, we became friends, and I told him that I couldn't date him, but he should ask someone with substance out, and I suggested Paris. So he did. It just didn't work," Rory summarized.

"'Cause he liked you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Daddy."

Rory smiled, and turned on her turn signal as they waited at a stoplight.

"He's been talking about all this, has he?"

"Yeah. We had a chat last night."

"About our high school days?"

"Well, he wanted to know how serious Billy and I are, and we ended up talking about you guys in college, then he mentioned the high school thing, and I asked about it."

"I see. So, how serious is this thing between you two?"

"I don't know," Ella shrugged.

"You talk a lot," she nudged.

"Yeah. We get along so well, we can actually talk. None of the guys at school are really interesting to talk to, you know?"

"Oh, I remember," Rory smiled. "Is he a good kisser?"

"Mom!"

"What? We all saw you after Thanksgiving. It looked like quite a kiss," she added.

"It was," Ella responded, blushing a little.

"Well, so, what's the problem?"

"College. He's so down on himself, and his abilities. I think it bugs him, where I applied to and all. He thinks I'm too good for him or something, but it's not how I feel."

"Well, if that's what's bugging him, it's his loss if he lets it get between you."

"I know. It's just never been like this before, you know?"

"I know," she said supportively, patting her daughter's hand. She parked the car in the garage and turned to Ella. "Ready to get Jane?"

Ella nodded and got out of the car with her mom, off to meet Jane for the first time.

&&&&

Will ran over to his mom's house, hurrying as he was already running late. He had to help her decorate the house before everyone got there. When he walked in the front door, he saw Christmas decorations everywhere. The tree was up in the stand, but garland, ornaments, and lights were strung out all over the living room.

"It looks like a tornado hit in here," he commented, as his mother turned to look at him, strings of lights wound around her.

"Oh, Will, good. Come over here and help me!"

"What are you doing?"

"One of these lights is out, and now the whole strand won't turn on!"

"Why don't you have it plugged in?"

"Duh, 'cause they get hot," she said.

"Not if they don't come on," he reasoned.

"You're as bad as your father, with the rationale and logic," she pouted. He sighed, and found the plug, inserting it in the outlet. He started from the other end of the strand, testing the bulbs.

She smiled at her son, and continued working on the bulbs from her end.

"So, how was your week?"

"Good," he said, not looking up from the task at hand.

"Sookie called me. She had some news."

He nodded, rescrewing in a bulb.

"About Anna."

He looked up at his mom, his attention held now.

"You knew about the rape all this time?"

"She told her mom?" he asked, relieved.

"Yeah. She did. You poor kid, you knew this whole time?"

Will nodded.

"Wow. That poor girl," Lorelai said.

"She wasn't doing so well, but she started going to this group for other people who'd gone through it too," he explained.

"Well, Sookie was just devastated. I think she wanted to hire bodyguards to walk her around campus," she went on.

"Anna's going to be fine," Will assured her.

"Sookie also wants to make a statue of you for the town square, she said Anna wouldn't be doing so well without you," she informed him.

"I didn't do anything," he said, taking out another bulb, causing the rest of the strand to light up.

"Found it," he said quickly moving to get a replacement bulb from the box his dad kept. If it weren't for his dad, nothing in this house would have much organization, he feared. Before he'd moved in, Rory had lived here, so it'd probably always been quite tidy.

"Will, you did a lot for her. She said that Anna probably wouldn't have gone to that group if not for you."

"She would have eventually. She's strong."

"Well, I think you did a great thing, here, kid," she said, moving to hug him. He hugged his mom back, a bit sheepish about admitting he was the reason she was doing so well. He'd just done what he thought was right. They pulled back; the lights still strung around both of them, and started decorating the tree.

&&&&

Jess drove straight to the diner, wanting to help Luke out before heading over to the house with all the people there. He wasn't much in the mood to sit and visit with people right now. Working in the diner would keep his thoughts clear, plus the kids could eat and go on their own time. He had to hand it to them, they seemed to be handling this fairly well. He worried that they were handling it too well, and not dealing with the fact that Erin was in California. He parked the car and held the door open for his kids.

"Uncle Luke!" he called out in the half-full diner, causing Luke to poke his head out from the back.

"Hey, you guys made it," he nodded, hugging the kids before Jess. They sat down at the counter, and he lowered his voice.

"How you doing?"

Jess shrugged. "Been better. The kids are starved. I'll go do refills?"

Luke nodded, wishing Jess would relax and not go non-stop. Sighing, he walked around the counter, to stand in front of the kids. Both looked so grown-up, he just couldn't get used to it. He remembered when they were tiny, running around the diner at top speed, annoying Kirk by stealing his ketchup and hiding his silverware.

"Hungry?"

Ambrose nodded, and Jules shook her head.

"You have to eat," he said to his sister.

"I'm not hungry."

"We'll both have a burger and fries," he told Luke, as Jules glared at him.

"I don't want a burger," she complained.

"How about an eggnog milkshake?" Luke offered, knowing her soft spot for milkshakes.

"I guess so," she smiled at him.

"Put a packet of the protein stuff in it," Jess said as he passed his uncle.

"She not eating?"

"Not much," Jess looked concerned at his daughter.

"I'm going to kill Erin," Luke muttered, putting the order back to the kitchen.

&&&&

"We're here!" Tristan called out into the house, surprised not to see a ton of people already there. They were having the annual pre-Christmas bash at the Danes house, and all he saw was Lorelai perched on a ladder, trying to put a star on top of the tree.

She turned to look at him, and smiled. "Hey, you're tall!"

He rolled his eyes and took the star from her, easily leaning over the distance that she couldn't. "Where's Will?"

"The market. We needed more ice."

"Ah. The place looks great. Where is everyone?"

"We pushed it back an hour," she said, folding the ladder up after he got off it. "Hey, Jake," she hugged him before handing off the ladder to her grandson.

"Garage?"

"Thanks, kid," she smiled. "Rory at the airport?"

Tristan nodded. "Jane's plane got in a half hour ago, so she should be not too far behind us."

"You're really going to let Ella go with Billy this weekend?"

He sighed. "I don't have a choice, now do I?"

"Rory's afraid you and Jess will tail them," she laughed.

He looked down the hall and pointed at the kitchen. "You have everything you need besides ice? I'll go check," he evaded her comment.

"Tristan!" she jogged to catch up with him. "Hey, you know you can't do that, right?"

"She's just a kid. She's not old enough to go gallivanting off with some boy."

"She's almost eighteen. And she'll have Jane with her, and if she's anything like Paris, you have _nothing_ to worry about," Lorelai reminded.

"You would have let Rory do something like this?"

"I would have."

He sighed. "I don't like it."

"You don't say."

They stared at one another, in a stalemate. His shoulders slumped a little.

"I guess you're right."

"Come on. You know if something bad happens, there'll be line to disembowel him. But he's Sookie's kid, give him a break. You've known him from birth, he's not a bad kid," she said.

He smiled at the disemboweling comment. "I know. It's just the way he looks at her."

"The way you used to look at _my_ baby girl," she added.

"I made an honest woman out of her!"

"GAH! Okay, giving you advice time over," she said, screwing up her face in disgust. "I really don't like to be reminded that you deflowered my daughter."

He smirked and nodded. "You can put coal in my stocking again," he offered, referring to the first Christmas he's spent at her house.

She smiled too, shaking her head. "Yeah, I better go find some of that right now," she added as she made her way back into the main room, to make sure all the other decorations had been put away before the party-goers and family began showing up.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Thanks to all of you for the kind words and reviews. I'm healing and writing—life is good. :)

The party was in full swing by the time Rory pulled her car to a stop in her mother's driveway. She looked in the rearview mirror at Jane, who was eyeing the house in wonder. Ella was already flinging her door open; ready to get to the party. . . more than likely more excited to see Billy than her grandparents. Unbuckling her own seat belt, she turned to face Jane.

"So, ready for a little Christmas cheer?"

"Sure," Jane smiled politely.

"Do you guys celebrate Christmas?"

Jane nodded. "We do Christmas and Hanukah."

"Wow, that's a lot of celebrating, huh?"

"Mom says she wants me to be well-rounded."

"Alrighty," Rory paused, not wanting to make any truly disparaging comments about this child's mother in front of her, "Ready to go in?"

Jane nodded again, opening her door and following Rory into the loud, packed house. As soon as they walked in the door, Rory moved to a woman who looked just like an older version of herself, hugging her tightly before turning to Jane.

"Mom, this is Paris's kid, Jane, Jane, this is my mom, Lorelai."

"Nice to meet you," Jane said shyly.

"Hey, Jane! Make yourself at home, everyone does, as you can see. Food's that way in the kitchen, and most of the kids your age are showing up the adults, dancing in the living room," she giggled, pointing with her hand that was occupied with a glass of punch.

Jane smiled appreciatively and headed into the kitchen. Rory and her mother exchanged a look.

"She going to be okay?" Lorelai leaned in, watching the teenager go.

"I think she's just not used to all this reckless abandon," Rory commented.

"We need to de-Paris-ize her."

"Definitely."

"Oh, just keep her away from the punch," Lorelai cringed.

"Every year," Rory nodded, moving to find her husband, who welcomed her under the mistletoe as if they'd been apart for months.

"You planned that," she giggled into his ear.

"Maybe," he responded.

"How's the party?"

"No one's drunk enough to truly be entertaining yet."

"It's still early," Rory said, patting his arm encouragingly.

He nodded and they turned to join the rest of the group. It seemed as always, everybody in a fifteen-mile radius had shown up for some holiday celebrating. Stories being told, stolen moments under mistletoe, and gifts that had been promised not to be exchanged were being given lovingly. In the kitchen, Jane was staring at all the amazing looking food, but not touching a morsel.

"Are you okay?"

"Do you know if any of this is vegetarian or wheat-free?"

Billy looked at this girl in confusion. "I don't think either of those apply to anything here."

"Do you know who the caterer is? Maybe I could ask them."

"I could go get my mom. She made it all," he offered.

"Your mother made all of this?"

He nodded. "Your mom doesn't cook?"

Jane shook her head. "My mom's a doctor, which doesn't leave much time for the domestic life," she explained.

"Wow, a doctor."

"Yeah."

"What's your dad do?"

"He makes furniture."

"Wow. That's an . . . odd pair."

"They are the odd couple," Jane agreed. "What do your parents do?"

"Mom's a chef, Dad's a produce man. It's very symbiotic."

"Indeed."

Billy smiled, wondering if this strange creature that couldn't eat any normal foods was Jane. If so, the weekend away was going to be a strange one, he mused.

"So, no meat or wheat? Are you allergic?"

"Mom says wheat makes me puffy. And Dad says that we shouldn't eat anything with a face," she said, realizing perhaps for the first time how weird her life sounded.

"I think you should live on the wild side," he said, taking a plate and loading it down with food, a selection of his favorites that his mother had created over the years. Handing it to her, along with a fork, he smiled encouragingly at her.

"Oh, and stay away from the punch bowl," he added, "Unless you've got a good alcohol tolerance."

"Thanks," she said, stopping to sniff the bite of food on her fork before allowing it entrance to her mouth.

"I promise, it's all good."

She smiled and took a bite, falling in love immediately with wheat, and in particular the apricot, wild rice and bread dressing that seemed to be enlivening her taste buds.

&&&&

Jess came out of the bathroom just in time to see a very upset looking Ella turn on her heel and storm out the front door. Grabbing his jacket, he followed her out to the front porch and slipped his leather jacket around her shoulders before sitting down next to her. She looked up at him, tears stinging her eyes.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?"

"You didn't see him?"

"Who?"

"Billy. He was in the kitchen, flirting with another girl!"

"Who, Paris's kid?"

Ella nodded, snuggling a little farther into the warmth of Jess's jacket.

"It looked pretty innocent to me," he offered.

"I haven't seen him in two weeks, and does he come to find me? No, he's in my grandmother's kitchen, flirting with some other girl."

"I think he was just being nice," Jess said, putting his arm around his goddaughter.

"He should have been talking to me," she pouted a little more.

"No question about it," he agreed, trying to soothe her. Her temperament could definitely be soothed just like her mother's could be, he just had to be careful to play into their neurotic tendencies before shedding a little light onto the situation. Or what Tristan called, re-introducing reality into their world. "But aren't you maybe, possibly overreacting just a bit?"

She sniffed, looking up at Jess. "Maybe."

He smiled. "Is it possible he was just helping someone who was feeling out of place in this outpatient ward feel at home?"

Again, a shrug of her shoulder. "Possibly."

"I think maybe you should go back in there and let him know you're here."

She smiled again, truly and brightly this time, hugging him. She stood up, letting his jacket slip off her shoulders and headed back into the house.

&&&&

Dave walked up to Will, offering him a glass of punch. Will smiled, took a drink and made a face.

"Damn. Stronger every year."

Dave nodded.

"You brought Mallory," he observed.

"I figure if I'm going to scare her off, I should do it properly and thoroughly," he laughed.

Will smiled and shook his head at his friend. "Looks like Sookie's already getting attached," he observed. He pointed to the living room, where Sookie was giggling and talking non-stop to Mallory, who (thankfully) didn't look terrified at all.

"So, no big date for you this year?"

"First year flying solo," Will agreed.

"You know, that doesn't have to be the case."

Will furrowed his brow, not catching his friend's meaning.

"You thinking I should go the hire an escort route?"

"You're really dense, anyone ever tell you that?"

"Dave, make sense. I beg you."

"Anna."

"Stop."

"I'm telling you, it's painfully obvious to everyone but you."

"Dave," Will said, shaking his head.

"Just, think about it. Please. As a gift to me."

Will looked at his friend, and took another drink of the liquid that burned his air passage before it even reached his lips. If Dave knew what hell Anna had been living through the last few weeks, there was no way that he would be pushing this so far. He knew she'd told her mother, but he was fairly sure that no one else really knew. Probably Jackson, and Stephanie, her roommate. But that was about it. He tried to shrug it off, and he headed out back to get some air as Davey moved off to rejoin Mallory and save her from the incessant barrage of new people coming up to her and telling her stories of Davey's youth.

Once outside, he saw his dad moving some firewood around into a pile to bring inside. It was getting colder, and it was sort of a tradition to have the fire roaring and all the lights out as people told stories at the end of the night, as a sort of winding down to the activities. Everyone curled up around the fire, drinking eggnog and listening happily to the tales of the past.

"Hey, Dad. Need some help?"

"Sure, grab some of that over there?"

Will nodded and picked up the stack of firewood, bringing it up onto the back porch. They worked wordlessly, something that Will always loved about his dad. Not that they couldn't talk, but that they were both content not to at times. There was enough rhetoric in their lives, thanks to the Lorelais.

"So, how were finals?" Luke asked, used to the fact that his kid actually liked school. It'd taken a good number of years to get over that fact, as he himself had hated every aspect of the institution.

"Not too bad. I get my grades sometime next week."

"Merry Christmas, huh?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, you free at all this week?"

"Need help at the diner?"

"Yeah. I need to go pick up Lorelai's present, and I need to do it during business hours, so she won't know."

"Of course. Just let me know when."

Luke nodded, looking at his obviously pensive son. "Talk."

"What?"

"Talk."

Will sighed. "It's stupid."

Luke laughed. "You're kidding me, right? Your mother did ten minutes on why the wrapping paper and the bows weren't getting along this morning."

Will smiled, glad for the lightening of his own mood. "Did Mom tell you about Anna?"

Luke's face grew grim, and he nodded. "Yeah," he gruffed.

"Well, I've been sort of the person that's been there for her. I've been making sure she's okay, looking out for her. We've been spending a lot of time together recently. The thing is, Dave keeps telling me that it's obvious that we should be together, you know, like a couple."

Luke's interest was peaked, but he held in the oh-so-obvious 'Huh.'

"He doesn't know what she's been going through. I mean, she obviously isn't ready right now to be in a serious relationship."

"Interesting."

"What is?"

"You think that if you and Anna got together it would be a serious relationship?" Luke raised a curious eyebrow at his son.

"I didn't say that. That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

Will thought for a moment, his breath now visible in the increasingly cold night air. He looked back to his father and shrugged. "I don't know."

Luke nodded, and pointed to the stack of dry firewood they'd collected.

"Come on, help me get this in."

Will did as instructed, picking up an armful of wood, and following his father into the house, to help get the fire started.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Sorry it's been a smidge longer than I anticipated getting this chapter out. Christmas shopping and the like has gotten in the way a bit, but here I am, back again, with more of the gang for you. . .

Ella wandered into the kitchen, her attitude now safely back in check, though she wasn't making promises to keep it in should she be so blatantly provoked again. Jess had been right—Billy was just being nice. Polite. Well-mannered. He liked her, and she was his. . . girlfriend? Shaking the uncertainty from her being as well as the nagging feeling that Jess had called jealousy, she smiled and walked up to the pair of teens.

"Jane, good, you finding everything okay?"

Jane smiled, looking up at Ella as she continued to enjoy her food. "Billy and I were just talking about the trip."

"Oh, right. The trip," she said, moving to stand a little closer to Billy.

"We figured we should get going pretty early tomorrow. I can come by the Inn around five-thirty to get you guys, if that's okay," Billy informed her.

"Oh, yeah, no problem. So, Jane, which colleges are you most interested in?"

"Well, I'm dying to hear back from UC Berkeley. That's my top choice, though Mom keeps calling it a clown college. . . But out here I'm most interested in seeing Princeton and Yale."

"Great. So, I say we hit Yale, then down to Princeton and Sarah Lawrence?" Ella suggested, moving to the point where her shoulder was brushing up against Billy. He looked at her, glad for the show of affection, but wondering just what she was up to. There was a vibe, and not just an 'I'm happy to see you' kind of vibe. The way she was looking at Jane and inching towards him, it just seemed strange.

"Sounds like a plan," Jane agreed, putting her now empty plate down in the sink. "Is there a bathroom I can use?"

"Just behind you, in the hall before you hit the front room," Ella pointed.

"Thanks."

Jane disappeared into the hall, and Ella turned to face Billy. She gave him a smile and leaned in to kiss him properly, and for the first time in two weeks. She wrapped her slender arms around his shoulders, her hands coming to rest on the back of his neck. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at her questioningly.

"What was that?"

"That was a kiss. Was it not a good kiss?"

"It was a very good kiss. I meant, before. With Jane. You were acting weird."

"I was just planning the trip."

"I thought you were going to climb on top of me."

"You're exaggerating."

"Are you jealous?" he asked, getting a little too much pleasure out of the thought.

"No, I'm just, confused," she sighed, leaning back away from him.

He wrapped his hands around her waist a little tighter, not wanting to give her a chance to pull away from him. He couldn't imagine this girl ever being jealous of another girl. And as much as she denied it, he still suspected it was what she was feeling.

"Confused about what?"

"What exactly this is."

"This?"

"Us."

"Oh, us."

"I mean, there's an us, right?"

"Well, I was hoping so, yeah."

Ella smiled, and snuggled back against his chest. "Good."

He moved to kiss her again, only to hear someone clearing their throat behind them, rather loudly. They bolted apart, and Billy blushed. Tristan was standing in the entry to the kitchen, looking disapprovingly at the scene.

"Hey, Daddy. Billy and I were just discussing our college tours."

"Discussing? Is that what you kids are calling it now?"

"Honestly, Mr. Dugrey, we were planning when to leave in the morning."

"I see. So, Billy, where exactly will you be sleeping on this trip?"

He looked to Ella, as if she held the answer to what must be a trick question. He had possibly never been this uncomfortable before in his life. She continued to look at her father, unabashedly, and evidently with no intention to bail him out.

"Uh, well, I guess," he stumbled, searching for an answer in his mind that would let him walk out of the kitchen in one whole piece. Ella stepped between them, and he almost passed out in relief.

"We'll stay in a hotel room, Daddy."

"_A_ hotel room?"

"Well, we figure Jane and I can share a bed, and Billy can have the other."

Tristan eyed his daughter, remembering Lorelai's words of him having to trust Ella, and how she wasn't a little kid anymore. He groaned inwardly, thinking that her growing up had occurred rather suddenly, and with no regard to him. He kissed his daughter's cheek, and gave Billy one more cautionary look.

"I'll see you kids later," he said, moving back out of the kitchen after grabbing a beer from the refrigerator.

&&&&

Anna came down the stairs, and sat down next to Will on the bottom step. He looked over at her, still teary from laughter.

"You just missed it," he informed her, causing her to cock her head to one side in interest.

"Dad came through with the firewood, in hopes that starting the fire would wind the party down as per usual," he began, which made her smile and nod in agreement. "But Kirk, who I think had half the punchbowl before realizing how strongly it'd been spiked, got down on the floor next to Dad, arguing about how best to stack firewood for a proper burn. He was trying to say 'tee-pee', but kept saying 'pee-tee', and Mom was howling, along with the rest of the room, which irritated Dad more, because it was spurring Kirk on, right? So, finally, Kirk tried to take the matches from him when Dad wouldn't let him rub two sticks together, and Dad chased him out into the front yard with a big piece of firewood."

Anna smiled, shaking her head, the scene all too vivid in her head. It was fairly common for someone to get toasted, and even more common for Luke and Kirk to get into it. It was always more fun when Kirk was the one to get toasted.

"Hey, where've you been?" he asked, realizing she'd been MIA for quite some time.

"Oh, I got a call. From the campus PD."

Will sat up straighter, his attention fully rapt on her. "What'd they say?"

"They caught a guy, tonight, they want me to come ID him tomorrow."

"How'd they catch him? I thought you couldn't give much of a physical description?"

"I couldn't. I mean, it was so dark and everything. But they caught this guy on campus, during an attempted attack tonight. Someone saw him drag a girl away from the street, and called the cops. It was in the same area as where I had been. Anyway, so I guess I have to go."

He nodded. "Do you want company?"

She looked up at him, gratefully. "You don't have to," she offered.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?"

She smiled and leaned against him a little. "Seven?"

"Sounds good."

He leaned his head slightly against hers, both now watching as Kirk came back into the house after Luke, profusely apologizing for having vomited in the flowerbeds.

&&&&

Rory lie back against Tristan, his chest acting as a warm, supportive chair for her. She had a blanket pulled up over both of them, and his arms were wrapped around her torso, keeping her more than warm, seeing as they were right next to the roaring fire in her mother's living room. Some of the partygoers had gone, but about half were smushed into the living room, curled up and coupled off under blankets by the fire. She looked over to her side, seeing her daughter standing in the doorway, obviously saying goodnight to Billy. The kids were heading off to the Inn, under Jess's supervision, to get some rest for the trip, and the rest for post-finals hibernation.

"We'd just moved into this house, I think Rory was about ten or so, and we were so excited, so we invited everyone over for a huge Christmas party. The first annual, I guess you could say," Lorelai giggled, and everyone in attendance old enough to remember being there smiled warmly, "Anyway, I plastered every imaginable place with mistletoe, at Ms. Patty's request. People were kissing all night, I swear, I was beginning to think I should have charged a cover fee or something. Everyone had been kissed, except me! I was beginning to think it was some sort of conspiracy. Well, at any rate, I was on my way into the kitchen to help out Sookie," she gave a sly glance at Luke before finishing, "When all of a sudden, there was this big, flannel roadblock. Luke was standing in the doorway, looking like a deer caught in headlights. I'm sure I made some witty comment about being under the mistletoe," she smiled.

"You made a lewd comment about being under the mistletoe," Luke interjected from his position curled up behind her.

Ignoring him, she continued as if he'd not spoken. "It was the longest moment of my life. Here was this man, who made the best coffee in the whole world, that hated me,"

"I didn't hate you."

"And we're just standing there for a million years, and finally, he kisses my cheek, blushes and we both quickly walked away from each other," Lorelai beamed.

A chorus of 'awws' came from the intimate group. "And of course, Rory is watching, and comes running after me asking if Luke is going to be her new daddy," Lorelai laughed.

"Hey! I'd never seen you kiss a man before, and he did make the good coffee," Rory defended herself.

"So, that was our first kiss, which we preceded to try to forget about for another eight years," Lorelai said, finishing her story.

"Who's next?" Sookie asked, already having recounted her and Jackson's story.

"Well, I would, but I don't think Rory would appreciate that much," Tristan offered.

"Oh, man," she said under her breath.

"What was so bad about it?" Will asked, interested. He was seated with his back against the couch, on the floor next to Anna, who was sharing a blanket with him.

"She cried."

"You cried?" Anna asked, in disbelief. She'd always thought Tristan was handsome, and couldn't believe someone would cry after kissing him.

"Hey, I was upset for other reasons," she justified.

"We were at a party, and we'd both been recently dumped," he began, pausing to see if she'd object to his choice of words, "And we ended up in this piano room at this ridiculous party. Everyone else was downstairs, dancing and having a good time. She was looking for somewhere quiet to read, and I was just looking for somewhere to hide out. She kept talking about tests and school," he said, smiling. "She kept on talking, but she sat down next to me on the piano bench. I don't even remember what she said; all I could focus on was her eyes. Finally, it just seemed like I had to kiss her. I leaned in, and kissed her. . . then she fled from the room, crying and left the party."

"Way to go, Rory," Will laughed.

"I behaved much better the second time you kissed me," she reminded Tristan, who nodded in agreement.

"Albeit four years later," Tristan complained.

"Okay, someone else's turn," Rory said, not wanting to dwell on past indiscretions.

"What about you, Dave? You kept things so hush-hush for a while there," Will offered.

Dave put his hand to his face, as if to hide. Mallory laughed and spoke up.

"I'll tell it," she offered, Dave putting his hand over her mouth in efforts to stop her. She struggled his hand from her mouth and began speaking despite his protests.

"It was our second date. He'd taken me to one of those Halloween Fright Nights at an amusement park, and some of the big rides were open, along with haunted houses and mazes," she began. "I had no idea he was afraid of heights, he didn't tell me. So, when I asked to go on the biggest one, the one that takes you up, hangs you in the air for a while with your feet hanging free, then takes you back the other way, turning you upside down and all that good stuff, he agreed. I thought he looked a little pale, but we got in line and got on the ride. He was okay during the first part, and then we were in the hanging in the air part. We were sort of handing with all our weight against the safety restraint. They must have held us there for a good minute, and he let out this scream—I could have sworn it was my little sister next to me! I let out a laugh, which I just couldn't hold in. I think he was embarrassed, after we got off the ride, he was pretty silent. I took him aside, and wanted to show him that I thought it was endearing, that I liked him," she paused, feeling slightly embarrassed to be telling this story in front of his family, "So, I just kissed him, on the exit ramp of the ride."

"Aww, Dave," Anna giggled, "Were you scared?" she asked in a bit of baby talk.

"Shut up," he said, as she leaned over to poke at him.

Everyone laughed at the siblings, before a content silence came over the group. Everyone enjoyed the moment of being amongst friends, curled up with loved ones while listening as the fire popped and cracked in the background. Bits of torn wrapping paper and ribbon were strewn about the room between camps of blankets, the only remnants of the loud party that had been in the same space only hours before.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Been on vacation for Christmas, back East with the fam. Sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter.

Ella came down the main staircase of the Dragonfly Inn the following morning, not wholly awake, but lured by the promise of Sookie's Apple Pancakes before hitting the road. It wasn't often that she got such a treat, and knew better than to turn it down. Not that her parents couldn't cook—both could boil water and make edible food. But there was nothing normal about Sookie's food. It was like ingesting heaven. When she reached the dining room, she found Billy and Jane, already seated and drinking coffee.

"Hey, Popcorn," Sookie greeted her as she came out to see the group before they took off. She was glad Billy was going along, if only to expose himself to the possibility of achieving higher education goals than he currently held. She liked Ella, and was glad that they seemed to be getting along so well, but that wasn't her main concern. She was hoping more of her academic aspirations than lipstick would rub off on him this weekend.

"Morning, Sookie," Ella smiled, sliding into a seat and pouring coffee into her mug. She looked around, noticing there were only two other patrons in the restaurant. A server came out, and placed three plates of pancakes in front of the teens.

Jane looked at the pancakes, then at Sookie, and smiled hesitantly. Words were clearly being held on the tip of her tongue, as if she wanted to swallow them, but she was unable to.

"Is there a problem, there, Jane?" Sookie asked, a bit too politely.

"Uh, no. No problem," came her quick response.

"No, seriously. What's wrong?"

"It's just, this seems a little heavy for breakfast."

"Uh-oh," Billy muttered, leaning in Ella's direction. "Incoming."

Ella cringed and couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Sookie, who obviously was ready for a challenge.

"I'm sorry, a little heavy? _My_ food is too heavy?"

"Well, pancakes are just a dense weight in your stomach, when what you really need in the morning is something light to get your metabolism going," Jane said sensibly, showing off her relation to her mother.

"Umm-hmm. I see, now, so what would _you_ suggest, I mean, since you're so obviously a culinary expert. I mean, what do _I_ know, I've just been a five-star, internationally acclaimed chef for twenty years? Please, enlighten me," Sookie barked.

"Hey, Sook," Tristan soothed, coming up behind her. "I think John needs you in the kitchen. Something about an egg shell dropping into the mix," he shrugged.

"What!? JOHN!" she yelled, startling the other two guests slightly, and took off into the kitchen.

"So, now perhaps you've learned never to say anything contrary about Sookie's food?" he smiled at Jane, who blushed.

"I didn't mean--," she said, wide eyed.

"No one does. She just doesn't take the criticism too well," he assured the younger girl. "So, apple pancakes?" he asked, taking an extra fork and digging into Ella's.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Mine!"

"You can't finish all of that," he countered.

"Hah!"

"Okay, fine. I'll wait for my own," he said, holding his hands up in defense, though smiling showing off the fact that he wasn't particularly sorry for his actions.

"So, when are you leaving?" he asked immediately just before she was able to raise her first bite to her lips.

"After breakfast."

"Got gas money?"

"Yep."

"Cell phones?"

"Yep."

"Plenty of snacks?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Mad money?"

"Ooh, well, I could always use more of that."

"Your mom gave you some, didn't she?" he asked knowingly.

"It's always smarter to try for both of you," she smiled, ducking his attempt to muss her hair.

"So, Billy, could I just talk to you for a moment, in the main lobby?" he asked, looking serious all of a sudden.

Billy looked from Tristan to Ella in surprise, then back at Tristan. "Uh, yeah, um, yes, Sir."

The two stood up and headed into the lobby, Tristan strolling along confidently in front of a not so confident looking Billy. Ella and Jane watched the two walk off until they disappeared from view.

"What's that about?" Jane asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just my father trying to scare any sexual impulse Billy might ever have in his life out of him," Ella sighed, cutting into her pancakes again.

&&&&

His alarm went off, seemingly too early, but the realization of why music was blaring from his alarm clock radio hit him after a few seconds. He had to pick up Anna for the line-up identification. Today was going to be a hard day for her, he imagined. He groaned a little, and lengthened his body, letting his whole body feel a stretch. Just as he was relaxing his muscles, his door swung open. He craned his neck up, to see Dave slump into his room and almost fall down on the foot of his bed.

"Morning," he offered, not sure why Dave was up this early, not to mention why he was in his room.

"Morning."

"Dave," Will complained, trying to shove him off his feet, where he landed.

"What?"

"Can I do something for you?"

"Dunno, why do you ask?"

"Are you even awake?" Will sighed, shoving him with the one foot he'd managed to pull out from under Dave.

"No, not really."

"Then go away," with one more half-kick in Dave's direction.

"No, I had a reason. What time is it anyway?"

"Six-thirty."

"In the morning?" he asked in disbelief.

"Dave, come on."

Dave rolled over and tried to prop himself up on his elbow. He scratched his head, as if trying to allow the reason to formulate into a cohesive sentence.

"I know, I know—last night. Around the fire."

Will looked at his friend in confusion. "You really shouldn't try the thinking thing before noon, Dave."

"I just meant that it was a big step."

"I'm sorry. I'm still lost."

"Will, you sat with her. Around the fire."

"So?"

"So, that's like the most sacred of all sacred spots for declarations of love in Stars Hollow. Showing that you're serious about someone, making that statement—the best way to do that in this town is to sit with that person around the fire at your folks house after the Christmas party."

Will opened his mouth, but shut it again before emitting a sound. Unfortunately, the more he played Dave's words over and over in his head, the more sense it made. He hadn't thought about his actions last night, per say, he'd just moved into the living room and gotten comfortable. With Anna.

"I mean, why else would you do that?" Dave asked his still silent friend.

"I don't know. I mean, it just sort of happened," he answered, his brow perhaps permanently furrowed.

"Will, do you remember in high school, how we used to wish we could join everyone else, and the big deal that it was when you and Bree first went in there? That was the first night you told her you loved her, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was," Will said softly, still deep in thought. "Oh, my God. I'm so stupid! You don't think, I mean, Anna," he said, looking into his friend's face.

"Yeah. I think she does."

Will nodded, solemnly. Without another word, he threw back the covers and got out of bed, getting ready to go pick up Anna.

&&&&

Tristan took his time, knowing every extra moment he took to himself, made Billy worry and sweat it out just that much more. A smile almost spread over his face, but he held it in, not wanting to ease Billy's nerves.

Clearing his throat, Tristan put one hand on Billy's shoulder, and looked into his eyes.

"I just wanted to make sure we were perfectly clear on what would be going on this weekend."

"Uh, okay."

"See, I'm allowing this trip to happen because I trust my daughter. However, I realized that you and I haven't spent much time together, and I wanted you to know what I expect of you."

Billy nodded, his throat and mouth suddenly as dry as sawdust.

"Basically, I'm entrusting you not to do anything that would encourage my urge to have any appendages permanently removed from your body. I don't want a hand of yours on my daughter in any way, shape, or form; unless it is to remove her from a dangerous situation, i.e., pulling her from a burning building, out of the way of an oncoming bus, etc," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "My wife seems to think Ella likes you, and I suppose this involves the whole kissing thing, but try to keep that in check, as well. 'Cause I'm not kidding about that urge to do some bodily harm."

Billy nodded again, seemingly the only thing that he had control over in his whole body now were his neck muscles.

"So, we're clear here?"

"Clear, yes, we are. Sir."

"Oh, and quit calling me Sir. It's sort of creepy."

"Yes, S—Mr. Dugrey."

Tristan smirked, and clapped the younger man on the back. "Better get going. Don't want to keep those lovely ladies waiting, now do you?"

Billy walked as quickly as he dared from Ella's dad, happy that that particular conversation was over. He joined the girls, now finished eating, and picked up as many bags as he could, to occupy all hands and get towards the exit as fast as possible.

"Billy, hey, Billy! Aren't you hungry?" Ella called after him, as she hugged her father goodbye.

"No. I'll be in the car," he said, already out the front doors.

Ella turned towards her father and gave him the same look that her mother conjured up to get the truth out of him. He had never seen his daughter form that particular look, and to be honest, it wigged him out a little. This sealed it, it was genetic—Lorelai and Emily could both do it, too.

"Have fun, Sweetie," he said, kissing the top of her head, trying to evade her eyes.

"Can't you just be nice to him?" she sighed.

"I was! What? I gave him a warning. That's nice," Tristan assured her.

Still looking like she didn't believe him, she turned and walked out next to  
Jane, ready to hit the road towards the Ivy Leagues.

&&&&

Rory lie on her stomach, draped across the bed, headphones on her ears and head bobbing to the music that only she could hear being piped through from the Discman.

"How come there was only one album? This is great," she commented.

Jess moved the phone off of one of her ears before replying to her. He was used to automatically doing things like that for her. Sometimes her concentration on small details waned when the big picture was overwhelming her.

"Lead guitarist O.D.'ed back in '07, and they sort of just disintegrated from there," he informed her, as she rolled up onto her side to look at him. He was seated on one of the pillows, sifting through some CD cases, selecting ones he deemed to necessary for her to hear.

"And not even around long enough to get a good Behind the Music out of it," she shook her head in shame.

"Yep. So, where's the hubby?"

"Well, he came back from scaring the hell out of Billy, then said he was going to shoot hoops with Jake. They'll be out there for hours."

"Having 'the talk'?" Jess used air quotes and his cheesy overly-concerned parent voice.

She giggled and rolled her eyes. "No. That already took place."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. He gave it to Jake when he was thirteen. He said he wanted to inform Jake a year before he himself had become 'popular' with the ladies," she looked at Jess and grimaced.

"So, are you giving Ella the talk this year?" Jess laughed.

"Shut up!" she reached out and smacked him with an open fist on the bicep.

"Sorry, sorry. Go on."

"I gave Ella the talk when she was eleven, when all the girly issues started."

"Wow. We _so_ need to change the subject right now," Jess shifted uncomfortably on the pillow, and paid way too much attention to the CD case in his hands.

"Sorry. He didn't take Jake out for a talk. Just some father/son time."

"Ah. I should probably do some of that. Hey, did you ask Jake about tutoring Jules, or should I do that later?"

"Ooh, Jess, I'm sorry. It slipped my mind, what with all the insanity going on," she apologized, pulling the headphones the rest of the way off of her head.

"No problem. I'll do it later. I just hope something can get her back into school. She's a good student, I hope she doesn't start the stuff I used to do, she can do so much better," he sighed.

"Hey, you turned out okay. She'll be fine," Rory encouraged, sitting up to pull him into a hug. He returned the hug, letting her rub her hands soothingly over his back. There were only two people in this whole world that he let comfort him like this.

"I miss her."

His voice was soft and almost inaudible. It probably wouldn't have been heard if his mouth wasn't just inches from her ear.

"I know."

She just hugged him tighter, before letting go as he began to pull back. He handed her another CD, and she smiled, exchanging out the first CD and taking his next recommendation. She slipped the headphones back over her ears and pressed play, falling back into the silent comfort of their earlier activities.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Happy New Year's Eve! For a great Trory New Year's action, check out rosie4299's new fic, Kiss Me at Midnight. It was a great way to start out the new year. And made me realize I need to update my current stories, lol.

Ella drove the first leg of the trip, as it was her mother's car that had been offered up for the sake of higher education. Jane sat shotgun, Billy taking to watching Ella in the rearview mirror when he thought he wouldn't get caught staring. Luckily for him, her almost constant attention was caught up with the radio. She would scan through, intent on finding something play-worthy or a station not playing 45 minutes of commercials an hour. Once her quest became successful, she'd crank up the song ready to sing along—until Jane turned down the volume. The first time it happened, she gave a glare, unbeknownst to Jane, and turned it back up. Now, having not being able to enjoy two songs now due to the wordless fighting that had gone on, Ella couldn't take it anymore.

"What's your problem?"

"It's too loud."

"It's not too loud. Good songs can never be too loud."

"You aren't going to have any hearing left by the time you get to college."

"Are you always this much of a control freak, Grandma?"

"I'm not a control freak."

"Is there going to be some hair-pulling later on, or?" Billy interjected.

Ella glanced up in the rearview, glaring at him in such a way that he knew to shut up. It kind of excited him too, in a weird way, but he didn't feel that she'd welcome the mention of that fact at the current point in time. He just smiled to himself as the girls continued their conversation.

"Jane, look, I know you've had somewhat of a sheltered life," Ella sighed, trying to muster up some sympathy for the girl. She'd heard stories about this girl's mother, and just because of what Tristan had said, she felt badly for Jane. But this was simply about how much she was willing to take. And flirting with her boyfriend was one thing. But messing with her radio on a road trip—that was inexcusable. "But when you get to school, particularly out here, away from the free love, hippy-wanna-be, crystal loving freaks in California, you'll have to put up with some loud music. You'll never sleep in a dorm, you'll never be able to go to a party, and you'll never be able to do anything but go to class."

"College is about getting a good education. And the whole of California isn't hippies."

"I know your mother is deranged or whatever, but you can't punish your poor roommate for that."

"My mother isn't deranged!"

Ella raised an eyebrow and tossed an unbelieving look at her passenger.

"She just instilled me with realism. Life isn't about partying; it's about achieving goals. And I can't help it if I have loftier goals than most morons our age," she implied, the Paris in her shining through.

"I have goals!"

"What, to wear the perfect lip liner/nail polish combo to the prom?"

"Screw you! I'm going to be a writer," Ella informed her.

"Let me guess. Fashion column in Vogue?"

"Why do you assume I'm so shallow? I want to write about things that matter, not fashion. What's so 'lofty' about your goals?"

"I want to work with the CDC, find cures to diseases they say are incurable."

"So, you're aspiring to be your mother."

"My mother doesn't work for the CDC."

"No, but she's a doctor, working in cancer research."

"So? Your mother's a journalist."

"So? There's nothing wrong with wanting to be like my mother!"

Both girls were seething, ready to strangle the other. Ella's grip on the wheel looking as if she were trying to hold it on the car herself, and Jane looking out at the roadside. They were doing a good clip down the interstate, almost to their destination of Yale University. Her mother's top choice for her, and probably Paris's top choice for Jane. She took the exit to the school, eventually parking where Rory had instructed and got out of the car. Jane trounced off the Office of Administration, no doubt to try to get a head start on her educational experience.

"What a tool," Billy said, stretching his arms out as far as possible. He'd been cooped up in the car only about a half an hour, but it'd seemed like four entire hours, probably due to the knowledge that the whole next day was going to be spent with the squabbling girls.

"You said that right," Ella agreed.

He walked up to her and wrapped his jacket-covered arms around her. "So, a writer, huh?"

She smiled softly and nodded.

"You gonna write about me?"

"You gonna do something worthy of writing about?" her eyes glimmered with possibility.

"Maybe," he said gently, leaning down to kiss her for the first time all day. Tristan's warnings had flown out the window, and all he was aware of was the way her long hair tickled his cheek when she kissed him, and how warm the skin was on the nape of her neck as he brushed his fingers over it. She shivered slightly, causing him to pull her to his side and wrap his arm around her as they moved towards the door.

"That's not fair," she whispered.

"What?"

"Doing _that_," she said pointedly, "And then expecting me to be able to talk to someone official at Yale."

He smiled, obviously happy with himself as the continued to walk into the warmth of the large building.

&&&&

In another car, going a quite different direction, Will had no words. His thoughts were flying around his mind, thinking about what Dave had said this morning, as well as wondering what Anna was actually going through in her own mind. What he wanted didn't really factor into his thoughts of what to do about all of this. She was going through enough, and she'd given him no real sign that she was interested in him romantically. He didn't need to put her through unnecessary emotional stress.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. How are you? You doin' okay?"

"I just hope I can ID him, you know? That it's him and maybe all this can be over."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

She nodded and continued to look at him. He'd been acting weird since he picked her up at her mother's house. He'd tripped on the way out of the house, almost falling into the frost-covered flowerbeds. He fumbled with the car door lock, unable to open her door for a good minute. And ever since they hit the road, he'd been looking anywhere but at her, and evidently was deep in thought.

His strange behavior was perplexing, though she was almost glad as it took her mind off of what they were going to do on this early morning. She did hope the police caught the same guy, and that it might bring her a little closure. Just to know the slime bag was off the street. The guy that made her feel unsafe to be alone while outside. The one that made her check all the door locks several times before being able to sleep at night. The one that took from her things she'd never be able to get back.

He wanted to crawl under his car, knowing how stupid he must appear to be acting around her today. It wasn't like he could help it; it's like his muscles were trying to sabotage him since she walked out into the living room to greet him. He couldn't just act like a normal person, let alone a support structure for her. The one day, the day of all days, that she just needed him to be this pillar of strength, and he couldn't even walk down a single step. To make matters worse, she was blatantly aware of his inability to behave normally.

He began to wonder if she knew why he was acting so bizarrely. That he should just come out with it, and they could talk about this maturely. And probably have a good laugh about it somewhere down the line. Albeit years later. Many years later. Right now, it wasn't so funny to him. He opened his mouth, unsure of what would come out if he allowed the words to flow. The inability to know what exactly his mind would conjure up for his mouth to spit out made him think better of it, however, and his mouth closed again.

She frowned, knowing he was going to say something, possibly an explanation for his behavior, but said nothing. He obviously wasn't ready to talk about it. Sookie had been so happy last night, hugging her daughter tightly in excitement over the fact that Will had sat with her around the fire at Lorelai's Christmas party. She told her what a handsome couple they made, and how it was obviously such a long time coming. Anna had to smile as she let herself think for a moment what it would be like to be with Will.

Of course reality set in, in the blink of an eye, and she shrugged it off, telling her mom that Will was just making sure she felt safe and that he probably just didn't want her to feel alone at this time of year. Especially after all the trauma that she'd been through in the last month, he was just looking out for her feelings—that had to be all that was going on.

Both now lost in thought, and thinking of the prior night's events, they continued to be silent for the remainder of the car ride.

&&&&

Meanwhile in Stars Hollow, Lorelai was quite displeased. Here she was, happily snuggled down in bed under the covers on her day off, reveling in the fact that there were hours ahead of her that could be spent not moving. She could literally lounge under these sheets as long as she wanted to. Granted, she'd probably want to get up and shower before Luke got home, but he worked until late afternoon on Saturday and so, barring the house catching on fire, nothing was to move her from her current location for quite some time.

Except, of course, the fact that someone was pounding on her front door. Someone, obviously, with a death wish. She grunted and rolled over to check the time on the alarm clock. 7:45am. This person obviously wanted a slow, painful death. Thoughts of who was dumb enough to come knocking so persistently on her day off began to roll through her mind. Kirk. Girl Scouts from Woodbury. With cookies.

Her love of Thin Mints getting the better of her, she threw back the covers, cursed the cold hardwood floor and slipped on her robe as she scurried down the stairs to hopefully be met with boxes of chocolaty mint goodness.

To her dismay, Sookie was her visitor. Sookie, looking very pleased, was almost on the edge of bursting. She'd gotten the same near-dancing glee each time she'd discovered she was pregnant in the past. Lorelai was pretty sure that was no longer an option, and so she stood perplexed in her doorway, letting cold air in as Sookie waited to be invited into the house.

"Sookie, it's seven forty-five!"

"I know!"

"In the _morning_."

"Isn't it great?"

"No, it's early! Early is never good. For anything. Early is always _bad_."

"No, about the kids!" Sookie said, as if Lorelai should have automatically known what she was talking about as she moved past her into the still party-wrecked house.

"What kids?" she moaned, shutting the door and following her bouncy friend into the living room. "Shouldn't you be at the Inn?"

"John's watching the kitchen. What do you mean, what kids? Our kids," she said, pointing between the two of them.

"Our kids?"

"Will and Anna! Oh, come on, you saw it with your own eyes last night, silly. What colors should we use on the cake? Ooh, I know, pink. Unless they do a fall theme, then we could use yellows and--," Sookie rambled until Lorelai held her hand up to quiet her friend.

"Sook! Slow down! What are you talking about?"

"Will and Anna, around the fire? Oh, come on, Lorelai! Your fireplace is the best predictor of the marriageability of couples in this town!"

"My fireplace has no such powers! The flue sticks, and it has no internet capabilities."

"Internet capabilities?"

"You know, how you can get ordained on the internet, and marry people?"

"OH, right. I've always wanted to do that, it'd be so much fun to join two young people, in love and--,"

"Sookie!"

"Sorry! But you did see Will and Anna last night, didn't you? Around the fire, with all the other couples. Under the blanket," Sookie hinted not so subtly.

"Unless they were naked under the blanket, I think they were just sitting there."

"But they've been inseparable, for the last month. And all last night, they never left the other's side."

"Yeah, because they've been helping each other through stuff, and it's not like you're thinking it is. There is no need to plan a wedding. There is a need for you to go back to the Inn and me to go back to bed."

"Lorelai, are you saying there's no way that they have feelings for each other?" Sookie asked, more than disappointed at Lorelai's unenthusiastic response.

She let out a long sigh, seeing how much it meant to Sookie and really taking her son's recent behavior into consideration. Will wasn't the type to react out of pity to people, or do things he wasn't passionate about. So if he was spending all this time with Anna, it wasn't for nothing.

"I suppose, it isn't completely unlikely," she gave in.

"Really?"

"Really. But Sook, if there is something going on, we can't butt in. We have to let whatever's going to happen, happen naturally. Agree?"

"Fine. But admit it, it would be great."

"Yes, great. As long as you never come over here on my day off this early again, it will be blissful," she smiled, hugging her friend before basically pushing her out the front door. She paused behind the closed door, a pensive look crossing her face. A small smile spread quickly into a large grin before she bounded back up the stairs.

&&&&

"Why'd you let Ella go, if you were going to be so insufferable about it?" Jake asked his father, as they took a break from playing basketball.

"Your sister is off looking at colleges, and I'm not being insufferable."

"Dad, come on."

"I just want to make sure Billy treats your sister with the respect she deserves."

"Dad, they're on a road trip, with no supervision."

"What's your point here?"

"They're so doing it," Jake rolled his eyes.

Tristan's hands went up over his ears, his eyes closing shut. Jake rolled his eyes, and threw the ball at his father's stomach.

"Ugh, hey, be nice to your old man," Tristan instructed. "First, trying to scar me emotionally, then physically. . . But then again, you are related to Lorelai."

"Dad, think about it. Would expect me to be having sex on a weekend alone with my girlfriend?"

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Well, no, not right now, but hypothetically."

"Hypothetically, as long as you're smart and safe, I could care less."

"Right. So, the same goes for Ella, right?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no."

"Dad," Jake rolled his eyes again.

"Is Ella a virgin?"

"Dad, ew."

"Is she?"

"I don't know! This is something I never think about. And if she's not, I never want to hear about it."

"Who would know?"

"I don't care."

"You're of no use to me."

"Thanks, Dad. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now."

"Hey, did your mom talk to you about tutoring Jules?" Tristan asked, changing the subject for both of their sanities.

"Nope. Why would she?"

"Well, Jess was sort of hoping you could do it."

"Jules doesn't need a tutor," Jake looked at his father as if he were actively sprouting a second head.

"Well, tell that to her teachers."

"That's crazy. Jules is really smart. She reads more than Ambrose."

"Look, Jake, I know she's smart. Jess knows she's smart. But since all this with Jess and Erin started, she's just been preoccupied and needs some help catching up."

Jake brushed his forearm across his forehead, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, sure. Why not just have Ambrose do it?"

"You're someone she likes, and Jess thought maybe she'd take it more seriously if it was you and not her own brother. Would you take Ella seriously?"

"Point taken. Yeah, just have Jess let me know when."

"Thanks, kid, Jess'll be really relieved. We should head back," Tristan grabbed the basketball and turned to head off the court.

Jake nodded and pulled his sweatshirt on over his head. "I still say they're doing it," he added, running just out of his father's wrathful reach.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Hope this was fast enough. More ASAP, and just FYI, the next chap will be back to Ella/Billy and have some more Will/Anna stuff. Crossing my heart and hoping to die, I promise. And I've got some more plans for Erin. Actually, I'm starting to wonder when this story will begin to wrap up in my head, but for now, it ain't happening! Lol.

Tristan came back to the hotel room to find his wife not there. It wasn't quite noon yet, and he was surprised that she'd gotten up out of bed so early after being up so late last night. The Danes' Christmas party always went into the wee hours of the morning, and usually Rory liked to rest after both the drive and all the excitement of seeing everyone. Getting an idea of where she might be, he turned and wandered down the hall to Jess's room. He knocked, making the already slightly ajar door open further. Jess immediately turned around from his position at his desk, where he'd been typing away rather furiously at the keys on his laptop.

"Hey, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"No problem. Looking for Rory?"

"Yeah. Seen her?"

"She stopped by here to check on me a while ago, but she left for Lorelai's about an hour or so ago."

Tristan nodded, and stepped a little further into the room. "So, how are you doing?"

"Got some inspiration to write, so I guess that's good, right?"

"For you, yeah. How's the book coming?"

"Well, I'm afraid everything I've written in the last month or so might not really fit the mood of the beginning of what I wrote. For some reason, everything is a smidge too dark and moody. Go figure."

Tristan smirked at his friend, and turned to go. "I'll be a Lorelai's, but I wanted to let you know that I talked to Jake about tutoring Jules."

Jess turned back to face Tristan. "Oh yeah? What'd he say?"

"He said she didn't need a tutor, but he'd do it anyway."

"Well, I hope it goes better than when Rory tried to tutor me."

"Is that when she broke her wrist?"

"Yeah," Jess scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish.

"Great," Tristan mocked excitement. "I'll be at Lorelai's."

Jess turned back to face his computer as Tristan let himself out of the room, heading out to find his wife.

By the time he reached his mother-in-law's house, all that filled his head was Jake's words about Ella as they left the basketball court. He found his wife seated on the couch, a book in her hands, fully capturing her attention, even though Lorelai was in the kitchen singing Christmas Wrapping at the top of her lungs. It never was a normal experience to walk into this house.

"Is Ella having sex?"

Rory's head snapped up, instantly forgetting about her book. It dropped to her lap, unmarked and before she could check her page. She looked up at her husband, who had a wild look in his eyes, and a panicked look on his face.

"Excuse me?"

"Ella. Has she had sex?"

"Tristan, sit down, take a breath," she encouraged, wanting the tiny vein in the middle of his forehead to stop popping out as it was.

"Fine, fine. I'll sit," he sat down right next to her, leaving no space between them, and put his arm around her.

"Is she?"

"No, she's not. What is wrong with you?"

"Would you tell me if she were?"

"Would you want me to tell you if she were?" she stifled a giggle.

"I . . . don't know."

"Well, she's not. What made you think she is?"

"Jake."

"You're listening to a fifteen-year-old?"

"He said since they were on a road trip, with no supervision, that they were doing it."

"You listened to someone who calls it 'doing it'?"

"Rory," he warned. He was in no mood to joke about this. His daughter wouldn't be back for another day, and that meant she was spending the night away. With a boy.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tristan. She's 17. She's off to college next year. She's bound to have sex sooner rather than later."

"Well, what did you tell her?"

"About sex?"

"Yes."

"Tristan," she moaned, letting her head fall back dramatically.

"Did you make it sound all wonderful and ethereal or scary and disease-ridden?"

"Oh my God," she made a face, showing her disgust.

"Well?"

"I told her that it can be amazing with the right guy, and that she had to be really, really, really overprotected when it did happen. And that I want to be in the know that it was going on, so I could help her be prepared."

"Oh."

"Sufficient?" she raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"Yeah."

"Good," she smiled, curling into him. "Hi," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him.

"Hi," he smiled back, kissing her more deeply. They quickly got wrapped up in each other, forgetting they were sitting on her mother's couch, and evidently that they weren't 17 themselves.

"OHMIGOD!"

They broke apart, to see Lorelai coming back in with a tray full of Christmas cookies and coffee. Her eyes were closed, and she was turning in small circles, as if trying to decide whether or not to stay in the room or retreat.

"Sorry, Mom."

"No problem. All I'm going to say is payback is a bitch," she smiled sweetly, placing the tray down on the table before turning to go get another mug from the kitchen. Rory's face screwed up again in disgust, and Tristan laughed.

&&&&

Will followed Anna to the desk in the middle of the small police department. She gave her name, and why she was here, and then they were promptly instructed to have a seat. She turned to the row of seats, where a man in the last chair was handcuffed and apparently talking to himself. She frowned and sat on the opposite end, with Will seated next to her.

"So, they aren't ready for you yet?"

"Nope."

Will nodded, feeling like he should have something more to say. He should have some witty clip to pull out, or wise words to make her feel at ease. But instead, he had nothing. All he found himself able to do was put his arm around her, to comfort her. It was the first thing his body had allowed him to do all day that felt natural and didn't in turn make him come off looking like a moron. At least, so he hoped. She didn't seem to mind, as he felt her curl in towards him.

If words weren't coming easily before, now with Anna basically snuggled into the crook of his arm, he felt as if he might never be able to form cohesive sentences again. He wasn't quite sure when Anna had developed this ability to make him utterly useless, and to make his limbs a magnet for her body, but the realization washed over him that it had indeed become the case. Of course, this epiphany had occurred in perhaps the worst possible place, and it was nowhere near appropriate for him to start a conversation about these feelings he seemed to have developed (always had?) for her in the waiting area the county jail.

"Will? Have you heard anything I've said?"

He rolled his eyes at himself, silently cursing his prolific inner dialogue.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I just asked if you thought Davey was serious about Mallory."

"Oh, well, yeah. I mean, I guess so. He brought her last night, and everything."

"Yeah. Mom loved her, in fact she went on and on about what a big deal it was that he brought her into the room during the fire."

"Oh, yeah?" his mouth went completely dry now, wondering if she was hinting at something here, or if he was just imagining it because of his own feelings.

"Yeah. I mean, I guess that's a big deal, right?"

"I guess so. Remember how much we all used to want to go in there when we were younger?"

"I remember," she smiled. "Will, I--," she began, but was cut off by a uniformed police officer standing at the end of a hallway filled with what looked like offices.

"Ms. Melville?"

She turned to look at Will, and they stood up, and went off to follow the officer.

&&&&

Lorelai walked into the diner, taking off her coat and placing it over the stool before sitting down at the counter. Luke came down the stairs and gave her a puzzled look before leaning across the counter and kissing her hello.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"And it's always lovely to see you, too, dear husband of mine."

"No, I just meant, I thought you and Rory were hanging out today."

"Loverboy showed up. Oh, and I'm guessing we'll have to sanitize the couch before sitting on it ever again."

"Lorelai, my God," he shot her a look of pleading, hoping her details would stop there.

"So, I came to see you, see if I could persuade you to go upstairs and do something dirty," she winked at him.

"Can't. Got work. You can help me with that, though."

"As _if_," she put her hand to her heart. "I will take a burger and fries."

"How many Christmas cookies have you had this morning?"

"What does that matter?"

"How many?"

"Are you saying my body isn't perfect as it is?"

"Lorelai, one of these days, all that sugar _is_ going to catch up to you."

"Luke. Please. This body will never quit. Now, give me my burger, or I won't let you take advantage of this body never quitting later," she warned.

"Ew, Grandma!" came Jake's voice from behind her, causing her to turn and smile.

"Sorry, kid."

"Yeah, you look mortified," Jake muttered, moving to sit next to his grandmother. Ambrose was next to him, and nodded to his great-uncle.

"You guys hungry?" Luke asked, glad to have the boys here to distract Lorelai for a bit. Also, he wanted to check in on Jess, which was best done indirectly.

"Burger and onion rings."

"Me, too."

"Coming right up," Luke said, scribbling down the three orders and putting them back to the kitchen. "So, what are you guys up to today?"

"Not sure yet," Jake shrugged.

"How's your dad doin'?" Luke asked Ambrose, not really one to beat around the bush with small talk.

"He's writing today, so that's good, right?"

Luke nodded, hoping it was a good sign. He wasn't sure lately with Jess, the poor guy had been trying everything to put on a semi-brave front for his kids, even though they knew better as well.

"Oh, hey, I heard you were going to tutor Jules," Lorelai added.

"Yeah, which doesn't make sense at all."

"You're tutoring Jules?" Ambrose asked, confused.

"Yeah. Dad and Jess wanted me to."

"Weird. Why didn't they just ask me?"

"Dunno. Something about her not listening to you."

"And she'll listen to you, oh-wise-ass?"

"Boys," Luke sighed.

"I just don't think she needs a tutor."

"She needs caught up, that's all," Ambrose said, shrugging it off. "Mom leaving's sort of all she's been thinking about. Makes it hard to study."

"Damn her," Luke said, and Lorelai moved to swat his hand, as if to remind him who he was with.

"Sorry. I'll, uh, go check on the food."

As Luke made a fast exit, Lorelai turned to the boys excited. "So, you guys have your Christmas shopping done yet?"

"Nope. Haven't even started."

"I got Dad a book, but that's all I've done."

"Well, how about after lunch, we swing by the Inn and pick up Jules and the four of us do some major damage at the mall? We'll get it all done in one glorious afternoon of sugar pretzels and slurpies," she wiggled her eyebrows at the last part, obviously giving away her favorite part of any shopping excursion.

Ambrose shrugged and Jake tilted his head to one side. "Sure, why not."

Lorelai's face fell, "Man, boys are no fun at all," she muttered.

"What was that?" Luke asked, setting down the plates in front of the three.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," she smiled sweetly, biting into a fry.


	28. Chapter 28

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! Well, just the kids. You understand. Blah, Blah. I own no money, how's that?

He'd seen this type of situation in movies and on television shows, and now he could say with no doubt in his mind that nothing he'd seen on film could quite capture the reality of looking a line-up of potential rapists. He was glad the local police didn't seem to have a problem with him coming in with Anna. They said that most victims come with someone else, a support system. Those that come in alone, those were the ones they worried about—or so Officer Mitchell informed him while Anna was receiving instruction on what to do in the viewing room.

She now eyed each suspect carefully, trying to clear her mind like the officers had instructed. Will leaned up against the back wall, giving her space. What she would be doing today without him was beyond her. He knew when to give physical contact, and what kind, as well as knowing when to back off. He couldn't do anything for her now. Now it was all up to her.

She took another deep breath, willing her mind to open up. She hated to think back to that night, but she had to now. She stared at the height chart that the men were standing against, and suddenly it hit her that there were only two possibilities. She herself was 5'7½", and the others were 5'8" and below, the shortest being only 5'6". The man that attacked her was definitely over 6'. When he grabbed her, his chin had brushed up against the topside of her head.

"It has to be either 2 or 4," she said, her voice much stronger than she'd thought it would come out.

"Everyone but 2 and 4, you can go," Officer Mitchell announced into a microphone, and the other men filed out of the room.

She closed her eyes, and tried to see as much of that night as possible. The man had been wearing a ski mask, and all black clothing. A black-hooded sweatshirt. Black jeans. Boxer shorts. She could almost feel his hot breath on her neck, and she visibly began to shake. Will stepped forward, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ann?"

"I'm okay."

"Can she take a break, here?" Will asked, but Officer Mitchell shook his head at him.

"Give her a minute, let her think."

Will crossed his arms over his chest, not wanting to have to watch Anna go through all of this again, but not willing to leave her alone either. He himself looked at the two remaining suspects, and he could feel the loathing building up inside of him. One of these two men did this to her. He rubbed one hand furiously over his forehead, closing his eyes so as not to look at these men.

"Turn to your right, please."

The suspects did as told, and Anna jumped back a little.

"Ohmygod."

"Ms. Melville?"

"It's four."

"Are you sure?"

"See the tattoo? On his neck?"

"You remember a tattoo?"

"I do now. I saw part of it, his hood fell down, towards the end, and," she gasped the words, getting it all out, and desperately wanting to leave the room.

"You're positive it's number four?"

"Yes," she looked the officer dead in the eye, before turning to Will. "Will?"

"Can we go now?" he asked, seeing that she obviously couldn't take anymore. She was still shaking, and he could see the first tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Yeah, you guys are all set. Ms. Melville, thank you for your cooperation. We'll be in touch."

Will reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room as fast as possible. When they got to the main door of the station, he pulled it open and ushered her through. They stood there, in the cold December air, their lungs nearly freezing on their first inhalation. She continued to shake, but he was almost sure that now it was because she was still holding her coat in the sub-freezing temperatures.

"So," he began, not quite sure what to say to someone after they correctly identified a perp. "We should get in the car."

She nodded, still not realizing she wasn't wearing her coat. He took it out of her hands, and placed it over her shoulders, pulling it closed over the front of her. She looked down at where his hands met, holding her coat shut, and smiled.

"Oh. Thanks."

"Come on. I'm in the mood for coffee," he said, putting his arm around her to lead her to the car.

&&&&

All that was visible of Tristan was his posterior sticking out from the refrigerator. Rory stood behind him, enjoying the view.

"There's nothing in here."

"I wouldn't say that."

"You see something edible in here?"

"I see something I could nibble on," she said suggestively, finally causing him to turn and smirk at his wife.

"Oh really?" he asked, letting the door shut as he moved over to where she stood. "And what if I'm actually hungry?"

"We have an entire house to ourselves, with no end of privacy in sight, and you want to eat?" She cocked a single eyebrow at him, hoping he wasn't going to waste too much time playing devil's advocate.

"Rory. I haven't eaten since early this morning, and all I had then was one bite of Ella's pancakes. I'm starved."

"Hmm. I see," she nodded sympathetically, and moved around him to look into the fridge herself. She glanced over the contents, and turned back to him with a smile.

"Go upstairs."

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to bring up a feast for you."

"You're going to cook for me?"

She simply smiled.

"I should go now, before my questioning ruins it, right?"

She nodded, and he turned and ran up the stairs as fast as his legs would move.

&&&&

Ella found Billy back at the car, leaning up against it in a James Dean fashion. She'd just gotten done with her personal tour from the Dean of Admissions, who was of course a friend of the family, and pleased to do it. She'd seen dorms, libraries, classrooms, and more. She was utterly exhausted and when offered lunch as well, she told the Dean that she really needed to find her friends so they could do some exploring on their own. The Dean had smiled, and winked, saying they'd see her next fall. Now, standing here at a short distance from Billy, seeing him waiting on her, it occurred to her: only if she chose Yale would this scene ever become a true reality for her. All her other choices were further away, and seeing Billy would be as hard as it was now, with her in New York. If she went to Yale, she'd be close to him. He could easily come visit.

She shook the thoughts from her head, reminding herself that they'd never really talked about what he planned on doing next year. He'd jokingly commented that he'd never get into a college, but he was trying after all, wasn't he? She bit her lip, realizing they needed to really talk about this.

"Got a smoke?"

His head snapped towards her, and he had to smile as she slinked over to him, in that sexy way she had.

"You smoke?"

She shrugged, and slid up next to him, also resting against the car.

"You really are a bad girl, aren't you?"

"I _have_ smoked. Dad keeps some stashed in his bottom desk drawer. He thinks no one knows he has any," she smiled, turning now to face Billy. Her body was pressed into him, and she liked how warm his torso always was.

"So, do they let smokers into Yale?"

She nodded, her expression neutral.

"And this doesn't excite you? Do you know what I'd do if I got into Yale?"

She shook her head, awaiting his continuation.

"Well, there would be yelling and a happy dance, and probably even some of those cigarettes I don't have, by the way."

She smiled, and nodded. "Where did you apply?"

"What?"

"To college. You did apply somewhere, didn't you?"

"I did."

"So, where did you apply?"

"Just some state schools. A couple of community colleges for safety."

"Oh," she nodded.

He shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable. "Where's Jane at?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just, I don't like talking about school."

"Why?"

"Ella, please, let's not do this."

"Do what?"

"You're going to your choice of fancy schools. I'm going to the equivalency to refrigerator college," he said, looking down at his feet.

"Stop that! God, you're smarter than you think you are, and so what if you go to a state school? Or even a community college? You can get your grades up there and transfer to somewhere better, if you want!"

He looked at her, as she yelled at him, the same things that his parents always said. "Ella," he sighed.

"What? And don't tell me you have to settle with what life gave you. That's crap."

"I just wondered why you cared so much where I go to school."

Now it was her turn to look at her shoes.

"Ella?"

"I just thought, you know, it might be nice if we were in the same area."

"What?"

"I saw you, here, waiting on me, and I thought if I came here, and you were in Hartford or something, you know, that we could see each other more."

"Oh," he said, partially stunned, partially doing that little internal happy dance he'd mentioned earlier.

"You think I'm stupid," she nodded, moving away from him.

"No, no, hey, come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist in an effort to pull her closer to him. "Hey, look at me. You go wherever you want. We'll figure it out, how to see each other and all that. I'll get an extra job just for bus fare, if I have to."

She looked into his eyes, and saw how serious he was about his last comment. "You'd smell like the bus, for me?"

He smiled, trying not to laugh right in her face. She smiled back, and he leaned down to kiss her. She stood up straighter, and wrapped her arms around his neck, to pull herself up and closer to him.

"Get a room!" came a disgruntled, yet increasingly familiar voice. The two broke their lip lock, but rested their foreheads together instead as Jane came flouncing towards the car and tried the door handle.

"It's locked," she commented, obviously in a very bad mood.

"Two more whole colleges to look at?" Billy asked, desperation in his voice.

"I'll owe you. Big," she promised as she gave him a quick peck on the lips before digging her hand down into her purse to retrieve the car keys so they could be on their way to Princeton.

&&&&

The only two options to go upstairs at Luke and Lorelai's house were the main bathroom and their bedroom. Opting for what he hoped his wife wanted, he went into the bedroom, and looked around. He'd been in this room more than once, usually to corral the kids or pick up his sleeping children. He actually hadn't been up here in years, since the kids were too old to be locked up here with a movie and a board game during the 'adult' parties. There were pictures on Lorelai's dresser, ones of Rory as a small girl, some of Will riding on Luke's shoulders when he was younger. One of what looked like Lorelai in crutches many years ago. He picked up a picture of Rory, obviously dressed up as a princess for Halloween. She looked about six, and he smiled. It was amazing how much Ella resembled Rory. It'd always been uncanny, the resemblance, but this really could be mistaken for a picture of Ella, if there hadn't been a tiny Lane also in the background of the shot. She appeared to be wearing a hot pink, spiky wig and leg warmers.

"Whatcha' doin' there?"

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, but he didn't stop looking at the picture in his hands.

"This picture of you as a fairy princess, and what I believe is Lane's first realization of her rock star dreams," he laughed.

"Put the picture down, and turn around slowly," she instructed, and his curiosity shot up. He did as she said, and his jaw almost hit the floor when he could see her clearly.

She was covered in whipped cream. Well, not head to toe, but she'd managed a bikini at any rate. He looked her up and down, a favorite past time of his, and swallowed hard.

"You said you were hungry, right?"

"Wow."

She grinned and brought her hand out from behind her back. In it, a large bottle of chocolate syrup. She held it out, presenting it to him almost as a gift.

"The only thing is, I don't want to wreck Mom's bed, so there's a big plastic tarp behind me here in the hallway, so I'm going to need you to put it down on the bed. I don't think the whipped cream will stay if I bend down," she frowned. Only she could be thinking logically while covered in whipped cream. He'd take care of that in a moment. Nodding, his brain barely registering her instructions now, he moved behind her in the hallway and did as she suggested. She slid onto the tarp, and he moved over her, taking the bottle of syrup from her, and began to decorate her all white coverings. He swirled and striped, not stopping 'til he was satisfied with his artwork. He at last put the bottle down, just when he thought he couldn't take the anticipation any longer, and moved over his sugarcoated wife.

"This removal process may take a while," he warned her.

"I'm okay with that."

"I may have to go over certain areas, many times, just to make sure I've got it all," he raised an eyebrow, hovering his mouth just centimeters from her waiting skin.

"Right," she said, trying to keep her tone even, but her body was already heady in anticipation of this treat she'd arranged for herself.

He lowered his head, his tongue attacking the smoother, flatter areas of her body first. She arched up a bit, when he came around the underneath side of one breast. He knew what she was after, and he simply shook his head.

"Ah, ah, ah. Patience," he chastised her, moving back down to her stomach and starting another long, agonizing path up her body. She sank down, and let herself fall into the blissful haze of the feeling of his soft tongue dancing over her skin.

&&&&

"You're sure you don't mind?" Luke asked again, looking at his nephew.

"I don't mind."

"'Cause I can put this off," Luke offered.

"Go. The bank will close in a few short hours, and if you keep this up, we'll still be having his conversation."

"You don't have to watch the place, though, you can go write, or take a walk, or," Luke continued.

"Luke. Go. You take a walk. It's dead in here, anyway. I've watched the diner before, you know," he said sarcastically.

"Fine. I'll only be an hour, tops."

"Great."

Luke rolled his eyes. He was never disappointed by his nephew's well of unending sarcasm. No matter his mood, Jess could conjure up a comeback. But at least he was willing to help him out. Deciding he should just be glad of that, he took his coat, and said his last piece.

"One hour."

"Go!"

Luke went out the door, the bell overhead chiming as he went. Jess wondered if Luke ever tired of that noise, or if he simply didn't even hear it anymore. Like the sound of the keyboard clicking as he typed for himself. Deciding he should probably do something productive, he grabbed a rag and began to wipe off the counter. It was then that the door opened again, setting off the bell.

He wished _he_ couldn't hear it anymore.

He'd have to ask Luke about it later.

"Cup of coffee, please."

He looked up, and nodded at the woman who'd taken up residence at the barstool in front of him. He'd never seen her in here before, or around town for that matter. Of course, all his time wasn't spent in this Frank Capra set.

"Here or to-go?"

"Trying to get rid of me? I thought towns like this were supposed to be friendly," she smiled. She had a pretty smile; her teeth were straight, and not glaringly white.

"Yeah, well, I'm from New York."

"So, what, you killed the owner, and now you're rude to all his customers?"

"Guess that's one more body I'll have to fit in my trunk," he smiled back at her.

"So, you're not Luke?" she pointed to the sign.

He shook his head. "I'm Jess, his nephew."

"I'm Gwen," she extended her hand. He took it and, shook it briefly.

"Anything with that coffee?"

"What do you recommend?"

She was still smiling at him. It hit him that she was flirting, something that in all honesty did happen to him quite a bit, but he never found himself doing back. He was married, after all. Separated, he now reminded himself. He was separated. His wife was in California with another man, living another life.

"Do you like pie?"

She nodded again, looking down briefly to put sugar into her coffee. He slid a piece of pumpkin pie in front of her.

"You aren't going to have some, too?"

"I'm working," he reminded her.

"You don't really work here."

"Just on holidays," he corrected.

"What do you do the rest of the year?"

"I'm in publishing. And I write."

"Anything I've heard of?"

"It's not done yet."

"Ah."

"And what brings you here?"

She blushed. "I got lost."

He smirked, and nodded. "So, the being nice has been in hopes that I will give you proper directions out of Boonesville?"

"Is _that_ where we are?"

"Where are you trying to get to?"

"Right now, I'm not in a hurry, actually."

"Huh."

AN: Yes, yes, yes. It's a long one. And I'm a little evil for leaving it there, but you know me. I hope those of you begging for more Trory action liked this chappy. I enjoyed writing it. More ASAP.


	29. Chapter 29

Will stirred his coffee, mixing his cream and sugar in thoroughly. Anna sat across from him, coffee in front of her as well, but it seemed to be more of a hand warmer than a drink in her mind. Her hands were wrapped snugly around the mug, and she made no move to add sugar or creamer—and he knew for a fact that black coffee was not an acquired taste of hers. She hadn't said much since they left the police station. He blew on his coffee, out of habit, before bringing it to his lips.

"So, you hungry?"

"No, not really."

"Do you have to be anywhere today?"

"No. Why?"

"Just wondering. I cleared my schedule, so if you want, we can hang out here for a while, in case you get hungry."

"We should probably get back home at some point. Mom will be worried."

"Right, but we could always put a call in."

She nodded. She looked into her coffee cup for a moment, as if she were considering drinking it. He looked out the window, prepared to sit here in silence if that is what she needed.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I mean, I don't just want to say thank you, it doesn't seem like that's enough. You've been. . . there. The whole time. Even when I didn't know I'd need you, you were there for me. So, thanks."

He blinked, in truth a little surprised by her show of gratitude.

"You're welcome."

She nodded and smiled. "I mean it. I might not have done so well without you. I know you probably don't think I've been holding it together all that well, but," she emphasized.

"No, I think you're amazing."

Had he said that out loud? He couldn't ask her, either way. Though he was guessing by the look on her face he in fact had. Should he clarify? Yep, he was going to have to. She looked like he just told her he was a dinosaur.

"I mean, I admire you for handling all of this so well."

Did she look deflated now? He's complimenting her, that's not wrong. Is it? He really wondered now.

"Most people probably would be hiding from the world, not talking about it, you know. Not dealing. Or at least, not like you have."

She still hadn't said anything. She looked rather somber, not like someone receiving compliments. He wanted to crawl under the table. He was afraid he was going to start sweating soon.

"Ann? Am I offending you here?"

"No, no. No."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just fine."

He nodded, not believing her and let out a breath. Maybe he should just tell her all of what he was thinking. Or he could start with what Davey had been going on to him about. If she didn't feel the same way, they could have a good laugh. Then he could punch Davey when he got home. He was okay with that. But then, if she felt something for him, wouldn't she just say so?

"Are you okay?" she now asked him.

"I, uh, yeah."

"You're sure?"

She widened her eyes. He had no idea how she did that, but it was having an effect on him. All he could focus on was her eyes, and how expectant she looked. He felt suddenly that he could tell her and it would be okay. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling, but should he find the words, he needed to tell her. His stomach was bothering him. He felt like an army of cats was inside of him, trying to claw their way out.

"I'll be right back."

He stood up, leaving her sitting wide-eyed and confused. He moved to the bathroom and whipped out his cell phone. Luckily the small bathroom was empty, not that it would have stopped him. He dialed and waited, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Santa's Giftshop, Head Elf speaking."

"Mom. I need seriousness."

"Will? Where are you? Do you have your Christmas shopping done?"

"Mom. Please, not now."

"Sor-ry. What's up? Where are you?"

"I'm in Willimantic," he offered up.

"Isn't that where ECSU is?"

"Yeah."

"You're there with Anna?"

"She had the line up today."

"Ah. How is she?"

"That's sort of why I called. I need your advice. But not as my mom. As a girl."

"Really?"

"Mom. Please, I beg you."

"Go ahead. You have my full attention."

"I've been feeling recently, I mean, I've been spending a lot of time with Anna, and recently I've been feeling. . . different."

"Uh, honey, please tell me you haven't been spouting on like this at her."

"No! God, I ran to the bathroom before it started pouring out. You have to help me figure out what to say. I'm going to be babbling like a moron. I need to get this out, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say."

He heard giggling on the other end, and he rolled his eyes.

"_Mom_!"

"Sorry, I'm just getting the visual of you, running to the bathroom with these words threatening to vomit out of your mouth, and now you hiding in the bathroom calling your mommy," she giggled.

"So, you're not going to be any help?"

"What do you want?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, you better be sure before you say anything, kid."

"I know."

"Do you want to date her?"

"I think so. But she's just got so much to deal with," he sighed.

"Forget that. Well, don't forget it, but it's up to her to decide what she can handle, right?"

"Right. Okay. I'm going back out there."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

He hung up and took at deep breath. Maybe she wouldn't say anything about his abrupt departure. He'd only been gone two minutes. He slid back into his seat and gave her a smile.

"Will, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I just, I want to tell you something. And I want you to let me get it all out, okay?"

She nodded, unable to keep her eyes off of him. He looked a bit crazed, and very nervous. He was usually very together, but lately he'd been awkward and jittery. She just figured he wasn't comfortable dealing with the whole rape situation, not to mention his problems with Bree. Not that he'd mentioned Bree since Thanksgiving, but she figured it had to be weighing on him.

"Alright, just bear with me, because the word thing isn't my friend lately, but basically, the gist of it all is, that recently, I've been wondering what it would be like if we were more than friends. And I have no idea what you're thinking, and if I'm completely out of line, then tell me and we can forget about it and attempt to pretend that I never said anything."

He looked at her. She'd never taken her gaze off of him, but now her mouth was slightly open, as if she couldn't quite keep it closed. She blinked once, but said nothing yet.

"I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I," he began, after almost a full minute of her still gaping at him wordlessly.

"No, Will, stop. Just, give me a second, to wrap my mind around all of this."

He did as she said, and waited. She still said nothing, just blinked a few more times.

"So, what, you're asking me out?"

Duh. That's probably what he should have done. "Uh, yeah. Yes. I am. I'm asking you out."

"Oh. Okay."

"Okay? As in, yes?"

She smiled, she couldn't help it. He looked truly surprised that she would accept such an offer. Sort of like her surprise at his confession.

"Maybe this weekend?" she offered.

He nodded and smiled. It was just Will smiling at her, but now she blushed, and it felt different somehow. It wasn't just Will smiling at her. It was _Will_. _Smiling_ at _her_.

"Um, I'm kinda tired now, though. Can we head back home?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Let's go."

It was a partial truth. Both were sort of tired, in post adrenaline rush kind of a way. But now, with the confirmation of shared feelings, the chance of either of them resting was nil. The entire ride back to Stars Hollow was filled with nervous laughter, the switching of radio stations, and stolen looks at each other.

&&&&

"I'm sticky."

Tristan looked over at his wife, in all her naked glory, laying on the tarp that was still spread out over her mother's bed. She kept taking her pointer finger and touching her stomach, a slight adhesive effect happening each time. His mind was still reeling with the fact that they'd had sex on his mother-in-law's bed. In his teenage years, this might have been the ultimate stunt—hell, even during his college years. He wasn't exactly ashamed of himself now, either. Besides, he was blameless. What man could turn down a sexy woman covered in whipped cream? That would have just been wrong. Impossible, certainly.

"Need another tongue lashing?" he raised an eyebrow as he rolled up on his side, actually near exhausted from the afternoon's activities.

"I was thinking of something else, actually," she smiled.

"Well, you have my attention, especially after your last idea."

"Come on," she said, taking his hand, leaving the sticky tarp in their wake, treading in bare feet down the short hall into the bathroom.

"We're in the bathroom."

"Yep. Start the bathwater."

"And you're going to do what?"

"Bubble bath," she said, holding up Lorelai's best bottle of bubble bath.

"I really like how you think, have I told you that recently?"

"Just, start the water," she smiled, nudging his butt with the bottle.

"Yes, ma'am."

&&&&

Luke came back to the diner, almost an hour later, on the nose. He wasn't surprised that the diner was just as empty as it was when he left. The dinner rush shouldn't start for another hour, as most people were just getting off of work or finishing shopping. What did surprise him, however, was the transformation in his nephew. He was actively talking, and if wasn't mistaken, Jess was smiling. He eyed the situation suspiciously, not quite sure who this woman seated at the counter was, the one seemingly responsible for Jess' good mood, or where she came from. He walked around the counter and stood next to Jess.

"You must be Luke!"

He looked at the woman, and heard his nephew snicker.

"Ah, yeah. I'm Luke. And you are?"

"I'm Gwen. And I love your diner."

"Well. Great," he said, turning to Jess. "Can I have a minute of your time?"

"Now?"

"Yeah. Now. Excuse us."

Jess followed Luke into the storeroom. Luke shut the door and turned to Jess.

"What is that all about?"

"What is what about?"

"Gwen?"

"That's what you call a customer."

"You two seemed friendly."

"So?"

"So, you're married."

"Geez," Jess rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious here, what if Erin came back and saw you talking to some woman like that?"

"You can't be serious."

"I am serious. Have you just given up altogether?"

"Luke, stop it."

"I'm trying to make you see," Luke began, but Jess cut him off.

"So, my 'wife' is allowed to run off to California with another man, leaving me and her own kids in the lurch, and I'm supposed to just pretend everything's fine? I'm supposed to go through the rest of my life pretending other women don't exist? Tell me how that's fair, Luke."

Luke was quiet for a moment. "But, Jess, come on."

"No, I'm not having his conversation. I've done nothing wrong. Nothing. And that is the end of this discussion. Excuse me."

Jess pushed past his uncle and went back out into the diner. Gwen was pulling out her wallet to pay her bill. Jess held up his hand, waving off her attempt.

"On the house."

"Oh, I couldn't."

"First time customer, no charge. Not my rule," he said with a smile.

"Okay. But I'm leaving a big tip."

"Well, now, that I can't stop. So, where do you need directions to?"

"Hartford."

"Can I ask where you were coming from?"

"New York."

He gave her a questioning look, and tilted his head.

"I know! You want to know why I got off the interstate, right?"

He nodded.

"I saw a sign for Hayden's Nut House. I'm a sucker for those roasted, sugar covered pecan things," she made a face, showing she knew she was pitiful. "Anyway, I didn't find the stupid stand, and I got so turned around. I saw the diner and just figured I could get quick directions."

"Nice."

Jess took a pen, and scribbled down the directions for her out to the main route to Hartford. He passed it to her and she read over it quickly.

"Can you read my writing?"

"Yeah. Just one thing, though," she said, taking another napkin and scribbling something on it. Jess heard the bell ring over the door, and glanced up to see Lorelai come in the door, loaded down with shopping bags.

"What is this?"

"My phone number. Just, in case," she smiled, grabbing her purse and the directions napkin. "It was nice to meet you, Jess," she added, waving with the hand that held the napkin.

"You too," he said, watching her walk out, right past Jules, who was standing in front of Ambrose. Lorelai had evidently taken them and Jake out shopping today, and they'd just witnessed him getting a phone number.

He watched, helplessly, as Jules put her bags down on the ground, turned and hurried back out the door. Jake, who'd been the last in the line to get in the door, dropped his as well, running after her.

"Shit," Jess muttered, under his breath, running around the counter to go after the most obviously upset of his two children.

AN: Alright. I'm getting long-winded, no? These chapters keep getting longer, no matter what I do. But I realized I was on Chapter 29, and Will and Anna were starting to border on Luke and Lorelai in their inability to see the other's feelings. . . And this is fanfiction. So, hope you all liked this installment. More ASAP.


	30. Chapter 30

She repositioned her hair, trying to keep it out of the sudsy water. Once her clip held her hair up to her satisfaction, she slid her upper torso and arms back under the surface of the warm water. She kept sliding, even dipping her face under for a moment, as a child would.

"Now, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?"

"Huh?" she resurfaced, a few suds clinging to her chin.

"You pinned your hair up, just to dunk your head under?"

She shrugged, then released her wet hair so it fell down around her shoulders.

"Maybe I should cut it," she mused.

"Alright."

She eyed his seemingly unaffected reaction. "I could get a bob," she began.

"Mm-hmm," he scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them at her.

"Or a pixie cut."

If he were concerned, he didn't show it. Instead, he ran a hand up her calf, and intentionally stroked the soft skin behind her knee as she continued 'thinking' aloud.

"Ooh, or a Mohawk."

He grabbed a hold of both of her legs, and in one fluid motion pulled her through the water towards him. A second later, she'd wrapped her legs around his waist, as he'd positioned her in his lap.

"Don't you think you might be the only mother with a Mohawk dropping her kid off at Yale?"

She gathered some suds up in her hands, and arranged them on top of his head, fashioning a soapy Mohawk for him.

"You never know," she shrugged, inspecting her work.

"So, is it me?" he turned his head slowly from side to side, to give her a better look.

"Nah," with one hand she flattened her creation, causing the soap to run down over his entire head. In retaliation, he pulled her to him, kissing her and thus covering her face in bubbles as well.

"You taste like Mr. Bubble," she giggled.

He laughed, and leaned back into kiss her again.

&&&&

Jake followed Jules into Stars Hollow Books. She'd only been 15 seconds in front of him. He went straight to the back of the store. There, in front of the Reference Materials section, she sat on the floor in tears. He slid down next to her.

"Hey, Jules, come on," he said sympathetically, "Don't cry."

"How could he?"

"You don't know what happened."

She wiped her tears back with her hand, and leaned into Jake.

"They're gonna get a divorce," she said quietly.

He had no words, so he just put his arm around her, bracing him and her for her next round of tears.

"Jules," Jess stopped short in front of them, clearly having run all the way there. "Jules, I need to talk to you."

"I'll be at the diner," Jake announced, realizing he wouldn't be needed just now, and stood to go. He looked at Jules, who nodded as she was wiping fresh tears away.

Now alone, Jess slid down into Jake's prior spot, and put his arms around his daughter.

"What you saw, was nothing. I gave her directions to Hartford."

"She gave you her number, Dad, I heard her. That's not nothing."

"So? I don't have to call her. I didn't give her my number."

"Do you want to call her?"

"Jules, that is probably the furthest thing from my mind right now."

"You guys are getting a divorce, aren't you?"

"I don't know."

"Then why would you flirt with other women, Dad?"

He willed her not to ask her next question, but she was too smart not to.

"Did Mom move to California for another guy?"

Her voice made her sound five again. Jess hugged her tighter.

"Yeah. She did."

"Oh."

"Do you want to call her, talk with her about all of this?"

"No," she answered quickly.

"Jules, nothing is decided yet, okay?"

She just hugged him back, even tighter. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes as she clung to him, crying.

"Does Ambrose know?"

"No. Not yet."

More silence. He wanted to tell her it'd be okay, but he wasn't sure what okay meant anymore.

"You ready to go back? We could go get ice cream first," he offered, trying for a smile.

"Dad, it's freezing outside."

"Hot chocolate, then?"

Smile achieved. "Alright," she consented, allowing him to pull her up off the floor.

&&&&

Luke, Lorelai, and Ambrose sat at a table in the diner, shopping bags piled all around them. Jake came in, and sat at the only empty seat at their table.

"She okay?" Ambrose asked immediately upon seeing his friend.

Jake nodded. "She will be. Jess showed up, he's talking to her now."

"I told Jess he shouldn't be so careless," Luke announced, shaking his head.

"Luke," Lorelai shook her head, indicating that now wasn't the time to get into that.

"What _did_ happen?" Ambrose looked to his great-uncle.

Luke looked to Lorelai, who seemed interested herself.

"Well, nothing, really. He was just giving this woman directions."

"That's it?"

"That's it. So, who's hungry?" Luke asked, standing up and moving towards the back, not wanting to discuss this any further. Besides, maybe that was all that had happened.

&&&&

Will pulled the car up outside the Melville residence. He cut the engine, and looked over at Anna, who made no move for the door handle. Looking out her window, he noticed it looked like it might snow later on, as gray clouds gathered overhead. The chance of snow made him think of his mom, and he decided he should head over to his parents house next to help out with wrapping gifts.

"Maybe we shouldn't say anything to anyone yet, about us."

He looked from the window to her, wondering if she was wanted to back out. If she just wanted to remain friends.

"Oh, well, if that's what you want," he agreed.

She could hear the uncertainty in his voice, and put her hand over his to reassure him.

"Don't you think it'd be better to take our time with this? Think about it—our mothers? Davey? They aren't going to let us breathe once we tell them. I mean, assuming there's anything to tell," she explained.

Her words made sense, but the feel of her hand on his overloaded his sensations. He wondered how he'd never noticed it before, this almost vibrating energy emanating from where they made contact. She'd touched him, perhaps a million times before this moment. Maybe it was because this was the first deliberate touch. He flipped his hand underneath hers, so he could interlace his fingers with hers. He instantly felt like a puzzle piece, his specific grooves and shape meshing seamlessly against her.

"You're right," he quietly agreed.

"Good."

"So, I'll call you later, about tomorrow?"

"Oh, right. Tomorrow," realizing that she'd offered to go out this weekend, and it was already Saturday.

"Unless you want to do something tonight," he offered quickly.

"Oh, I can't. We're going to see the play that Lia's in, at the high school. It's the last performance, and Mom got tickets for all of us."

He nodded, not really ready to let go of her hand. She leaned towards him, and pressed her lips into his cheek before moving away to open the door.

"See you later," she said before shutting the door and heading towards the house.

He watched her go into the house before starting the car back up again. "Yeah, later."

&&&&

Rory handed Tristan a towel, after he pulled the plug out of the bathtub's drain.

"We should get one of those," he said as he dried off his hair.

"Just think, in two more years, we'll have our house to ourselves like this again," she looked sad by the end of her thought.

"They'll be in college, they'll come back," he wrapped his towel around his waist and drew her towards him.

"For laundry," she sighed.

"For more than laundry," he leaned his head down against hers. "We could have another one," he reminded her.

"Sixty, Tristan, we'd be almost sixty."

"You take all my fun away," he announced. "Besides, you'll still be hot when you're sixty."

She rolled her eyes as she went down the hall to answer the phone. She saw the tarp, and smiled as she answered.

"Danes residence."

"It's me. We'll all be there in about 15 minutes."

"Oh, okay."

"Just thought you might like some warning."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Do I need to disinfect the place?"

"Better have it tented," she joked.

"15 minutes."

"_Bye_."

"Bye."

"15 minutes to incoming!" she cried out, folding up the tarp, still wearing just a towel. The bed itself looked all right, with no visible signs of their escapades left. Tristan came back in, and she shoved the tarp at him.

"Trash," she instructed.

"Hello, clothes," he said, pointing to his towel.

"Sorry," she said as she gathered the dessert topping bottles and headed downstairs, hoping to hide all evidence before her family reinvaded the house. Once they were both dressed and the house was looking as it had upon their arrival, they flopped onto the couch. She curled up under his arm, and closed her eyes. He smelled of bubble bath, and a pleased look crossed her face.

"Thank you," he kissed her temple. "Today was perfect."

The front door opened, and Jake was the first to enter. He carried a couple of bags of Luke's Takeout.

"We brought food," he said, noticing his parents on the couch. "God, you guys are so embarrassing. Are you ever more than an inch apart?" He walked off to put the bags in the kitchen.

"Ah, if he only knew," Tristan snickered.

"Not even when he's 21," she warned.

"Hmm. Cranky. Let's go feed you," he helped her up, and they joined the crowd in the kitchen.


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Just wanted to thank all you reviewers. I wish I could give rosie4299 an award for consistently longest reviews. . . but she knows I love her! But I always love to hear how you guys are reacting to the story lines. So, read on, and please, leave a review.

Lorelai was still in the kitchen, adding fries to her plate when Will came in the back door. She turned and smiled, and he instantly felt the weight of the day lift off of him. He was home, the one place in the world where life was simple and good, no matter what the outside world held.

"Hey, we brought tons of food back from the diner. Don't touch the turkey burger, though. Your dad will be back soon, and it's for him."

"Why would I take the turkey burger? Is my other option liver?"

She giggled. "No, we have regular cheeseburgers, and every side known to man. No liver," she promised.

"Sounds good. Can't beat Dad's home cooking," he said as he grabbed a plate.

"Well, it's better than Mom's home cooking," she quipped.

"No comment," he said, kissing her cheek as he moved past her to get some mac and cheese.

"Smart boy."

"That's what my teachers tell me."

"So, we've got movies set up in the front room. Everyone's crammed in there," she said, making a face as Will put some salad on his plate.

"Everyone everyone?"

"Yep. Rory, Tristan, Jess and kids. Your Dad will be here soon, plus us. It's a full house. Or a royal flush."

He shook his head, knowing his mother was just going to get sillier as the carb-loading ensued. "Is there dessert?"

"Pie by the fridge," she replied. She turned to look at him, her plate now holding no more food without the paper plate collapsing under the weight. "Oh, hey, how did it go with Anna?"

Her voice seemed unnaturally loud to him, perhaps because this was the one topic that he literally couldn't talk about. He could chat about world politics, if they should pass the much debated bumping up of the speed limit from 20 to 25 mph through town, or medieval history. Just not Anna. Not yet, anyhow.

"How did what go with Anna?" Rory asked, coming in for more soda.

"The line-up, uh, earlier," he began to cover.

"No, you called me and told me about that, I was talking about--," Lorelai interrupted.

"Rory hasn't heard, yet. Anna ID'ed her attacker today."

"Oh, good. It must be a huge relief for her, just to know he's off the street. You went with her?"

"Yeah. I did," he said, trying to give his mother a covert 'please say nothing' look without his sister catching on.

"What's going on?" Rory asked, looking from her mother to her brother.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. Come on, let's get the movie started," Lorelai said, having caught Will's look of panic. She wasn't sure what it was about, but clearly he wasn't up to talking about it. She ushered her kids back into the front room, Rory giving her mother a questioning look the whole time.

&&&&

By the time the road-warriors reached Princeton, there was just enough time to make their official tour and meet with an advisor together. Shortly after, they rejoined Billy in the library, and decided to check into their hotel. Jane had pre-booked a room, on Paris's demand that nothing on this trip be left to chance. Once they dropped their bags in the room, Ella flopped down on one of the beds. Jane went about checking the cleanliness of the bathroom, to see if their room had been truly cleaned between guests.

"She never stops, does she?"

"You should have seen her in our meeting. She's got to be good at the 20 questions game. I think the advisor was going to cry when we left."

"Why?"

"She kept asking questions in really disparaging ways, like asking why her mother should shell out $10,000 a year for two square feet of personal space that was lit in such a way to worsen her eyesight."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"And you have to sleep with her," he laughed.

"Can't I sleep with you?" she asked, flopping her torso back down on the bed.

"Can you not rub all over the bed? Half of it is mine," Jane said as she emerged from the bathroom.

"Jeez, it's not like I have cooties," Ella said, sitting back up. "But I did lick your pillow," she teased.

"Gross!" Jane scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"So, when should we hit the clubs?"

"Clubs?"

"Jane, we're spending the night in a college town. We should take this opportunity to see if we could have any fun should we decide to go here. I can tell you, the night life in New Haven, well, it leaves a little to be desired. Not a lot of places to go, but there are enough so that it's not completely bleak. I figure Sarah Lawrence, well, it's in New York, so it's got to be fine. Princeton was my only real question in that respect."

"I don't care about the night life."

"And she doesn't like to boogie, either," Billy joked.

Ella snickered, and Jane shot him a look. "Where are you going to college?"

"Well, what with all the family money, I thought I'd bum around Europe for a year or so, then just buy a university upon my return."

Jane rolled her eyes. "I need to call my mother, and give her my notes on the colleges so far. You guys do whatever you want. But we need to leave for New York by 7am, sharp, so don't do anything too stupid."

"And on that note, let's go get some grub," Ella said, grabbing Billy's hand, and pulling him towards the exit.

&&&&

Dave, Mallory, Anna, Sookie, and Jackson sat in the third row of the Stars Hollow High Auditorium, watching Lia as Stella in _A Streetcar Named Desire_. She was quite good. The same, however, could not be said for most of the rest of the cast.

"I'm in physical pain," Sookie leaned over to Anna, and was shushed by the person behind her.

"Obviously the mother of that kid on stage left," Anna giggled quietly.

"Hey, pass the snacks," Davey said from the other side of Mallory.

"You guys, we're going to get ushered out," Jackson warned.

"We can only hope," Sookie said, passing down the popcorn to her eldest son.

Once the pain ended, including two curtain calls, they all got up and went to the front lobby to await Lia. She came out, and Davey wrapped his arms around her.

"You were the shining star of this production," he announced.

"Wow, you could give her a better compliment that than," Anna scoffed, also hugging her little sister.

"What, it was bad?" she asked.

"You didn't see that kid reading his lines off of his hand?" Jackson asked.

"Well, Tommy isn't the best at the memorization."

"Wow," Sookie breathed, hugging her daughter. "Well, it doesn't matter. You were wonderful! Are you ready for a big celebratory dinner?"

"Sounds great, I just have to run and change," she announced, turning to head back to the dressing rooms.

"So, Ann, how's Will doing?' Sookie asked, as they killed time.

"He's fine, Mom, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just wondered," she smiled knowingly.

"What?"

"I saw you kiss him on the cheek in the car!" Sookie confessed happily.

"You guys are dating?" Davey asked.

"What, no! Mom, I can't believe you were spying on me!"

"You're dating Will?" Jackson asked, and then turned to Sookie. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There is nothing to tell. I kissed him on the cheek to thank him for going with me earlier today. It was a friendly gesture between friends," she emphasized the word friends. She hoped her family would just let it drop.

"Well, why aren't you dating?" Dave asked.

"Dave, seriously. This topic isn't up for debate. Will and I are just friends, just like you and Will are just friends."

"I so hope that's not true," Mallory turned to Dave, her eyebrows raised. Dave snickered, and Anna let out a frustrated groan.

"Okay, everyone lay off of Anna. If she says nothing is happening, nothing is happening," Jackson moved in, putting his arm around his daughter.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"But if anything should happen with you and Will, I just want to say that your mother and I whole-heartedly approve," he whispered into her ear, causing her to smile and hug him back.

&&&&

Luke got up to answer the phone, as he was probably the person in the room that cared the least about the movie. Especially since he'd been forced to watch Monty Python movies repeatedly since moving in with Lorelai. She gotten on a John Cleese kick when pregnant with Will, and spoke with an English accent at home for three weeks. She begged him to do a silly walk for two days, but gave up when he threatened to break her copy of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_.

"Hello? Yeah, hang on a sec," he put the phone on the desk. "Jess, phone!" he said, moving back to his spot next to Lorelai.

Jess wondered who knew he was here. Work would call his cell. Maybe it was Erin, he thought, and got a little nervous on the way over to the desk. He wasn't quite sure what there was to say, and was even more unsure if he wanted to hear what she might say.

"Hello?"

"Jess, this is Gwen, from earlier in the diner."

"Oh, hi."

"Hi."

"Did I give you bad directions?" he asked, taking the cordless phone down the hall into the kitchen.

"No, no, I got here fine. I'm just a little bored out of my mind, so I called the diner and they gave me this number. I hope it's fine that I called."

"Uh, yeah. It's fine."

"So, how long are you going to be in town?"

"Probably until the day after New Years. We tend to stay around for this big party my uncle and his wife have every year."

"We?"

"Uh, my kids and I. And the rest of my uncle's family."

"Well, I was just wondering, because I'll be in Hartford until after Christmas myself. I was thinking maybe we could get together, for dinner or something."

"Dinner?" Thoughts flew through his mind. Erin calling the kids while he was out with this woman, and her reaction when she asked to talk to him. His kids' reaction when he told them he was going on a date. Luke's reaction when he asked them to watch the kids while he went on a date.

"Unless, you don't want to. Am I being too forward here?"

"No. No, it's fine. Dinner sounds good."

"Great. Well, you have my cell number, and maybe you'll call me later and we can make definite plans?"

"Uh, sure."

"I'm sort of hiding out at a family thing, I need to get back."

"Right. I'll call you tomorrow," he promised.

"Great."

He hung up the phone, and sat down at the kitchen table. He did really want to go. Gwen had been attractive, smart, and funny. He would have to be dead not to have reacted to her. He hadn't planned on calling her, really, but he was finding he was glad she called. And the fact that she'd tracked him down, just amazed him. Ambrose came into the kitchen to get pie, and saw his father sitting at the table.

"Was that Mom?"

"No, uh, that was the woman from the diner."

"Oh."

"I might go on a date with her."

"Oh. Wow."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not exactly alone here. You and Jules matter here."

"Well, I guess what would Mom say about it?"

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you," he muttered, and Ambrose sat down next to his dad.

"What?"

"Your mom, she's seeing someone. In California. He's the one that got her the job."

"So, she left for him, not a job?"

"Sort of. But she is seeing him."

"Is it serious?"

Jess raised his eyebrows.

"Are you guys getting a divorce?"

"I don't know. I told Jules the same thing."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, though, I'll make sure she knows, so it doesn't have to come from one of you kids. I'm really going to try to keep you guys out of the messy stuff. Just know, that none of this was my idea."

"I know. Really, we do, Dad. We are fairly perceptive."

"I know, trust me. It just kills me that you guys have to deal with all of this."

Ambrose nodded. "I'm going back out there. You coming?"

"I'll be right there."

He watched his son walk back into the living room, now with the whole pie plate, just in case anyone else was in need. Jess knew he had to tell everyone about the date, including a call to Erin. As much as he didn't want to care about her reaction, he did. This was all new, he told himself, and it would get easier. But he knew deep down, it would always be hard, when it came to her. It was just going to stay messy, and there wasn't much he could do about it.


	32. Chapter 32

Jess sat staring at the cordless phone in the kitchen. He knew the sooner he called Erin, the better, and if he waited too much longer, it would be way too late in California. Of course, if he called in the middle of the night, who knew what he would be interrupting. He cringed at the thought. He liked to imagine her miserable and ready to come back, begging him for forgiveness. Calling on a Saturday night might ruin all his illusions.

Will walked into the kitchen, followed closely by Rory. He turned, aware someone was right behind him, and threw his hands up.

"What?"

"You tell me. I know something's up with you, why won't you just tell me?"

"What's going on?" Jess asked, watching the siblings bicker. You'd think with Rory being 20 years older, the sibling squabbles would be at a minimum. But that just isn't the Gilmore way.

"Will is hiding something about Anna."

"Jess, get her off my back, will you?"

"Excuse me, I'm not on your back. I'm your sister, and as such, you owe it to me to let me know what is going on in your life. You guys have been spending all your time together, and--, OH!"

"What?" Jess asked again.

"You're dating Anna?!" she half-yelled.

"Will you keep your voice down, please?"

"Are you?" Jess had to ask. Even he was interested. The fact that it was barring him from making his dreaded phone call was just gravy.

"No, I mean, not officially," he sighed, looking at his sister and cousin. They looked expectantly at him, and he felt the pressure to continue rambling. "I sort of broke down and asked her out today. For the first time. And I'm supposed to call her and make plans, but how am I supposed to make plans? Where am I supposed to take her? I mean, it has to be perfect, right? I've known her forever, so it has to be romantic, but not too romantic," he took a breath.

"Whoa, hey, Will, calm down, man," Jess stood and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, this is going to be fine, really."

"You have to help me. What do I do?"

"Well, it's a first date. What would you normally do on a first date?"

"It's been five years since I've had a first date," he looked to Jess for help.

"Don't look at me. You were three the last time I was on a first date."

"Wow, you guys are so helpful."

"No, I contend that it doesn't have to have any more pressure than any other first date. Dinner and a movie," she suggested.

"So, is that your way of telling him he wasn't even born the last time _you_ had a first date?" Jess asked.

"What? I think my idea is fine."

"But they're friends. They do dinner and a movie all the time, platonically."

"So?"

"He's right. Oh my—what am I going to do?"

"No, no he's not right. Because everything's different now. When we dated, we'd been friends first, and once you introduce the ability to kiss, it's all different."

"Wow, I would appreciate it if you two wouldn't talk about the good old days. The image of you two kissing gives me night terrors," Will screwed up his face.

Jess snickered, and Rory shook her head. "Sorry. But I still maintain I'm right."

"Okay, yeah, she does have a point there. You do plan on kissing her, don't you?"

"I vote we go back to not discussing this. I was much more comfortable then."

Rory sighed. "But where will you go on your first date?"

"To dinner. And a movie," he said with finality and decisiveness before going back into the living room.

Rory looked to Jess, who still looked amused. "So, why are you sitting in here?"

His face grew more serious, and he shrugged.

"What is it with everyone and the secrets? Who was on the phone?"

"Gwen."

"Who's Gwen?"

"A woman I met earlier today."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah. So, I have to call Erin and let her know, just to be," he paused, looking for the right word.

"Hurtful?"

"Honest."

"Ah, honesty. The best policy. Can I call Ella first?"

"Use your cell. I need my privacy."

"Fine, fine. Good luck," she gave a supportive smile before heading off to find her cell phone. He was once again alone with the opportunity to get this over with. Then he could have his own mini-drama about where to take his first date.

He waited on the line, praying she answered the phone herself. On the fourth ring, he was getting ready to hang up, not wanting to leave a message, when he heard her voice.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Oh. Hi."

"Hi."

"Is everything okay? The kids?"

"No, everything's fine. I just had something to tell you."

"Oh, okay."

He fought back the urge to beat around the bush, but small talk had never been his thing. She knew it too, so trying would probably just creep her out. She knew all his habits, his tricks, and everything about him, to be honest.

"I just wanted to tell you, so it came from me. I met someone today. And, uh, I'm going to go on a date sometime. I didn't want you to call here for the kids and find out that way. They don't deserve to have to be dragged into this."

"Oh. I see."

"Erin," he began.

"Do they know already?"

"About Gwen?"

"Uh, yeah."

Using her name probably wasn't playing fair, it gave a more realistic feel to his seeing other people. But he wasn't trying to hide things, and he felt obligated to throw a little pain her way.

"Yes, they know."

"Have they, you know, met her?"

"No. They saw her, but they didn't met her."

"Oh. All right. Is there anything else?"

He knew her tone. She was trying to distance herself, something she wasn't good at when it came to him.

"No. The kids are fine, and I'm fine."

"Good. Me too, I'm fine."

"Good."

"Good."

They hung up, and he felt strange. He was sort of relieved, just to have that over with. She obviously wasn't thrilled with his news, but he wasn't calling so she'd be happy for him. He just didn't want her freaking out at Jules or Ambrose later. If it came from him, then it would be easier. He decided the best thing was to get his mind off of it, and he went to rejoin the group in the living room.

&&&&

Meanwhile, Rory was upstairs, in the place that was the scene of her earlier triumph. She called Ella, and was having the worst trouble understanding her. It was really loud wherever she was.

"Where are you?"

"We're just out, Mom."

"We?"

"Billy and I. Jane is the ultimate stick in the mud," she informed her.

"No, she's the heir of that stick, actually."

Ella giggled. "Well, she's preparing for the title very well."

"Are you having fun? How was Yale?"

"It was great. Definitely a contender."

"And Princeton?"

"Eh. It's fine, and all, but New Haven's nightlife is hopping in comparison."

"You aren't at a club, are you?"

"No, it's more like a tavern," she said, looking around.

"Ella!"

"Don't worry. We aren't drinking, we're just having coffee and food."

"Fine. Just, don't do anything stupid. You're dad's worried sick enough as it is."

"I promise."

"And you'll be home tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. Right after Sarah Lawrence."

"Try not to like it too much. I like that Yale is ahead so far," Rory nudged.

"Gee, you're kidding. I thought you wanted me to run off with that motorcycle gang after graduation."

"I believe that was your grandmother's suggestion," Rory reminded.

"Ah. Right. Night, Mom."

"Night."

Rory pressed End, and held the cell phone to her chest. Her baby liked Yale. Nothing was official, but the seeds of hope had been planted. She bounced downstairs, and reclaimed her place on Tristan's lap as they finished up the movie.

&&&&

"Do you want to dance?" Ella asked, after she finished her cappuccino. Billy looked up at her, and nodded. This tavern had live music going tonight, and there was a moderate sized dance floor cleared out where tables normally were. The darkened space was packed, and most of the people appeared to be just slightly older than the two.

He led her over to the dance floor, and a slower song began. The band was fairly good, especially for a cover band, and he pulled her in close.

"So, what do you really think of Princeton?"

"Just what I told Mom. Eehh," she made a noise showing she wasn't too thrilled. "This, however, is nice."

"Good."

They danced for a little while longer, and she could barely take the feelings she was experiencing. He pulled her in closer, so that she was literally mashed up against him, and she thought she'd pass out. She could feel him all over her, and all she could think was they needed somewhere much more quiet to be alone. They could go back to the hotel, but Jane was there.

"Mad money," she said to herself.

"What?"

"Do you want to get out of here?"

He looked at her, noting the look in her eyes. "Uh, sure, but where?"

"Come on," she said as she kissed him. She meant it to be a quick kiss, but her emotions sort of took control of her lips. She conveyed what was going through her mind in no uncertain terms with that kiss.

"I'm right behind you," he said into her ear, as they moved to gather their things. Once they got into the quieter street, he stopped her.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, my parents gave me mad money, in case of emergency. I thought we'd get our own room, for a while, just to be alone. I mean, we have to go back to the other room, later, or I'm sure she'd rat us out, but," she explained.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I mean, whatever happens, don't you want to just spend some time with me?"

"Let's go," he said, putting his arm around her and they caught a cab to take them back to the hotel.

&&&&

Most of the family had gone back to the Inn. Will decided to call Anna from his folk's house, rather than waiting until he was back at the apartment. It was bad enough that his mom, Rory, and Jess all knew—he wasn't going to be the one to tell Davey. At least, not yet. And he was sure to be there if Will tried to call from the apartment. He dialed Sookie's number, hoping they'd all be back from the family outing.

"Hello?"

"Dave?"

"Hey, Will. What's up?"

Anna's head snapped up, but tried to keep her cool. She wanted to take the phone from him, but that would be obvious.

"Uh, nothing. How was the play?"

"Horrible. How'd you know about that?"

"Oh, you know, Anna mentioned it earlier today. Is she there, by the way?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Can I speak with her?"

"Why?"

"Dave, just give her the phone. Please," he pleaded.

"Fine," he smirked, holding the phone to his chest before handing it over. "It's your boyfriend."

"Shut up," she said, moving to try to grab the phone.

"Ah, ah, ah. Tell me the truth first."

"Okay," she said dramatically. "The truth is, your haircut is really bad," she held in a laugh.

Dave rolled his eyes and set the phone down next to her before leaving the room. She took a deep breath and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi," she said, trying to keep a lid on her excitement. She felt like her heart was leaping up into her throat.

"So, how was the play?"

"Lia was good, but the others, well, let's just say they won't be on Inside the Actor's Studio anytime soon."

"Nice."

"Yeah."

"So, tomorrow, is 6 o'clock alright?"

"Sure."

"Great," he said, then thought he should probably confess he'd let it leak a little. "Have you told anyone yet?"

"No," she paused. "But I think they all suspect."

"Yeah. Same here."

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

"Night, Will."

"Goodnight."

Will hung up, and leaned back against the counter. His dad came in, with stacks of paper plates to dump in the trash. He saw the far off look in his son's eyes.

"So, who's the girl?"

"Huh?"

"Aw, geez, your mom is right!"

"What?"

"Lorelai said you and Anna," he put it together. "I'll be damned."

"It's not a big deal," he shrugged it off, surprised that his father was getting into the hype.

Luke put his arm around his son. "You know, your grandpa died way before I met Lorelai. But I'd like to think he would have smacked me upside the head and told me to get my head out of my ass, had he been around," he mused.

"Dad, what does that have to do with me?"

"This is a big deal."

Will looked at his dad, and nodded. Luke smiled and went back in to continue cleaning up with Lorelai. He'd worried that this Christmas might be a bit rough, especially with Jess' situation, but after tonight, he thought that perhaps it would be just the beginning of a new era.


	33. Chapter 33

AN: Work was slow again, so you know what that means. . . more writing time. Woo-hoo!

"You're joking. You have to be joking."

"I'm not. He even called Erin to tell her."

Tristan put his book on the nightstand. He took off his reading glasses, laying them atop the book and rubbed his eyes with his left hand.

"Well, then, he must have lost his mind. Who tells their wife they're going on a date?"

"They're separated," Rory corrected.

"That's still married."

"So, if we were separated, you wouldn't see anyone else?"

"I'm so not dumb enough to answer that question," he looked at her knowingly. His look caused her to widen her eyes, giving her that innocent Bambi look.

"It's a hypothetical."

"It's insane. We aren't separated. You like me too much to spend more than one night away from me," he reminded, poking her softly in the ribs.

"Okay, so what if I died?"

"I like that even less."

"Tristan, be serious!"

"I am! I'd hate it if you died."

She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest to show her displeasure at his unwillingness to participate in her train of thought.

He sighed. "You really want to play the 'what if' game?"

She nodded, looking at him skeptically.

"Fine. If you died, then yes, eventually I'd probably date again."

"How long would you wait to start wooing the ladies?"

"Probably until I could go out and not end up crying puddles on their shoulders, talking about how much I love my dear departed wife," he smiled at her.

"So, never then?"

"Right," he agreed, happy she was satisfied and the tricky game was over. Now the real fun could begin. He bent down to kiss her, and she turned in towards him on the bed. She forgot about questions pertaining to them being apart, as they enjoyed being together.

&&&&

Billy stopped once they got into the hotel lobby. He got so nervous on the short cab ride from the tavern, he could feel his heart beating in his throat. He looked at Ella; this perfect girl with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, and she wanted to go get a private room with him. He felt his stomach drop, and worried that he might start sweating.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting her hand on his arm. He had stopped so suddenly, she had to pull him away from the door as they were blocking other guests from entering. He looked like he might pass out, and she was growing concerned.

"Can we just sit for a second?"

She nodded, moving toward a loveseat. They sat down, and he bit his lip. He had no idea how he would get out what he was about to say. He didn't actually want to say it, but he felt he had to.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Oh. You don't want to do this."

She looked disappointed. He wanted to rectify this, to run up to the front desk and get the first room with a bed. Or a table—or carpet, hell, he didn't care. Except that he did. This wasn't something do get done as quickly as possible. He took another deep breath. He had to focus. He needed to tell her that this wasn't about wanting to as much as being ready.

"No, I want to, I just want us, both of us, to be really sure."

She nodded, grateful that he was taking this—and her—seriously. She understood his hesitation, and better to bring it up now before they got alone and it was too late.

"Have you ever done this before?"

"No, you?"

"No."

She smiled, glad he was as new to this as she was.

"You know, we don't have to rush this. I just got all caught up in the moment. It's like I couldn't think, and I just wanted you to touch me."

At her words, he realized if they didn't have sex, he was in for a long night filled with a series of very cold showers. The effect that she was having on him was unparalleled. She moved a little closer to him, and he put his arm around her. Her hair smelled like coconuts, from her shampoo undoubtedly. He gazed down her cheek and neck, exposed as she'd pulled her long hair back for the evening, and he wanted so much just to lean down and cover every last inch of that skin with kisses.

"Besides, do you have anything?"

"Anything?"

"Protection?" she whispered into his ear, causing the tiny hairs on the back of his neck to stand at attention.

"Oh, right. No."

"So, we should probably wait anyway," she looked at him, her eyes searching his. If those were her 'waiting' eyes, he was in for some serious trouble when she broke out her 'bedroom' eyes. A shiver went down his spine at the sheer possibility that they could be together in the near future, and he managed a nod.

"Do you want to just get back to the room and sleep?"

"Let's just hang out here for a while," he suggested, "People watch and relax," he whispered in her ear. She snuggled back against him and just enjoyed feeling him holding her.

&&&&

Lorelai came downstairs the next morning to find the coffeemaker in pieces all over the kitchen counter. She blinked really hard, hoping that when she reopened her eyes, it would magically be together again. When this failed to work, there was only one logical thing left for her to do.

"LUKE!"

He hurried in from the back porch, where he kept his toolbox. He had a screwdriver in one hand and an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm fixing it," he assured her.

"You gutted Fred!" she pointed as she accused.

"Think of it as open-heart surgery."

She held up a hand to quiet him, looking sadly at the pieces that were once her coffeemaker.

"You can fix him?"

"I can," he suppressed a smile.

"But no coffee?"

"If I'm not done before you get out of your shower, we'll head to the diner," he promised.

She made a sniffling noise, nodded, and headed back upstairs.

Always a man of his word, he had the coffeemaker in working order twenty minutes later when she descended a second time. She wrapped her arms around him appreciatively as she watched the coffee brewing.

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not today," he looked at her.

"Well, I love you. Way more than my other husbands. Those losers would never be able to reassemble Fred so quickly."

"That better not be all they can't do," he kissed the area just under her ear.

"Mmm. You're the best at that, too," she turned around in his arms to face him.

"You wanna go on a date tonight?"

"Why?"

"Because you love showing off your beautiful wife," she began, tracing circles on his flannel covered chest, "Besides, everyone else has a date tonight."

"Everyone?"

"Well, Will, Jess, Sookie," she listed.

"What about Rory?"

"She offered to be the DPU tonight."

"The DPU?"

"Designated Parental Unit."

"Ah, I should've known."

"All teenage crises go to her and Tristan tonight. Besides, Ella's college tour ends today, and they want to be there for the return."

"Wait, Jess has a date?"

"That was shockingly slow reaction time there, grandpa."

"Lorelai," he warned.

"Yes, Jess has a date. It's not a big deal."

"How can you say that?"

"He's separated."

"So?"

"So, his 'wife' is out in California with another man. He's under a lot of stress, it will do him good to get out and away from it all."

"I didn't say that wasn't right either, what Erin's doing."

"Luke, please don't get in the middle of this. It's his marriage, he's being responsible about it," she reasoned.

"You agree with this?"

"I didn't say I agreed with it, I said it was his life."

He shook his head. This was his business, as Jess was family. That meant you're there for them through good and bad, wanted or not. She should know that about him by now. Why couldn't get where he was coming from?

"Would you go out with someone else if we were separated?"

"You wouldn't leave me," she rolled her eyes. That was one thing in her life that she had the most confidence in.

"Fine, so you leave me," he tried.

"Why would I leave you? Oh, wait, probably because I can't take the stupid questions," she smacked her head.

"Fine, you win, never mind. I just think it's wrong. He's still married."

"Weren't you still married when you kissed me for the first time?"

"I was getting divorced. It was finalized less than a week later."

"Ah, but still morally wrong using your definition," she pushed. "Ooh, and you were drunk, for shame!"

"Fine. I'll stay out this _for now_," he consented.

"Good. Now, where are you taking me tonight?" she asked, moving to get herself the first cup of coffee of the day.

&&&&

"I want you to call me for any reason, no matter how small the problem," Jess insisted.

"They're both potty trained and past the sticking small objects up their nose phase, at least I'm fairly sure of that. So, tell me what catastrophic event you're so concerned about? I won't drop them on their heads, I doubt I could even lift Ambrose anymore," she giggled.

They sat side-by-side on the bottom step of the staircase at her mother's house, where she and Tristan were going to corral all the teens in the extended family this evening.

"I know they both said they were fine with my dating, but if they seem like they aren't, just call me. I'll come back immediately," he explained.

Rory sighed and took his hand in hers.

"Jess, no kid wants to see a parent dating someone else. They always wish for their parents to end up happily together—no matter how complicated it is. I did. I think the only reason I was okay with Luke and Mom was that he'd been so much like a father to me over the years, and I'd seen how much better off she was with him than Dad."

Jess nodded.

"Didn't you ever secretly wish your folks stayed together?"

"All the time," he answered quietly.

"You're doing the right thing, being honest with them, and with Erin. They're old enough to deal with this. Just go, and try to have fun," she urged, and squeezed his hand.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "All right. But call if there are any hospital runs."

"Will do," she promised and he headed out on his date. She stood and thought of all she needed to do. All the kids would be over soon, and expecting dinner. She went over to the phone and put in a carry out order at Al's before leaving a note for anyone who beat her back home.

AN: Next chapter—dates. I promise.


	34. Chapter 34

AN: Back again. As promised, here are the dates. Well, sort of part one of the dates. Thanks to all who are reviewing, hope you enjoy this installment.

Dave pounded on the bathroom door, eager to eject his friend so he could use the facilities as well. Usually they had no problems in sharing the single bathroom. But then again, Will have never spent over an hour at a time in there. Especially when Dave had to pick up Mallory in less than an hour.

"You aren't the only one with a date tonight, you know!"

Will opened the door, and stuck his well-groomed head out. "It's not a date."

"You shaved for the second time today, put gel in your hair, and are wearing a nice sweater, all to do what then?"

"We're just going to a movie."

"So, you aren't serious about my sister?"

Damn. Trying not to make this blaringly obvious and keeping the pressure to a minimum was failing quickly.

"What?"

"I know it's a date, Will, it's me. I heard her end of your phone call yesterday, and I saw her afterward."

"Is she excited?" he couldn't help himself.

"She was prancing around the house," Dave rolled his eyes. "The question is, are you excited? Or do you just have a new obsession with your reflection?"

Will sighed, and leaned into the doorframe. "So, it's a big deal. I admit it. I'm freaking out here, Dave."

"Why didn't you guys tell anyone?"

"We may as well have, as well as the secret's been kept. We just thought it would be best if we didn't have everyone scrutinizing our every move."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my parents are clueless."

"Well, that makes one set."

"Lorelai knows?"

"And she told Dad. But she swears she won't tell your mom."

"Lorelai knows Mom would have the wedding planned by tomorrow morning."

"That's what she said."

Dave nodded. "Well, you smell pretty good, Dude."

Will looked at his friend strangely. It was by far the weirdest thing Dave had ever uttered in his presence.

"Just trying to be encouraging," Dave explained.

"Right. You don't have to do that."

Dave nodded, and Will went down the hall to retrieve his jacket and keys. He was holding his keys in his hand when it hit him.

"Damn it!"

Dave now stuck his head out the door, toothbrush in his mouth. "What?" he managed through a paste-filled mouth.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"What?" His friend appeared to have lost all knowledge he'd ever had in his head. "You mean like what to do on a date?"

"No, I mean we never decided on if I'm picking her up, or if she's coming here," he explained.

"So, call her."

"I'll look stupid."

"She already knows that," Dave said before disappearing back into the bathroom.

Will decided calling her was better than showing up at her still somehow unknowing parents' house, and took out his cell phone to finalize their plans.

&&&&

Jess sat across from Gwen at one of the nicer restaurants in Hartford. She was talking animatedly about the crazy old lady that lived down the hall from her. It turns out that she actually lives just down the block from him. She was proving to be as funny and nice as he'd first thought. She finished her story and took a drink of wine.

"So, you mentioned you were visiting family with your kids? How old are they?"

"Fifteen and fourteen."

"Wow. You do not look old enough to have two teenagers."

He smiled and nodded. "Full-on suck up mode, huh?"

"I'm just stating the obvious."

"Right. Well, I'm not that old. They keep me on my toes."

"Do you raise them alone?"

He paused, and found himself playing with his wedding ring with his thumb out of nervous habit. This was honestly the first time he'd realized the fact it was still on. He was wearing his wedding ring. On a date with someone who wasn't his wife. Luckily his hand was under the table, resting on his leg. He wondered if he should take it off—had she really not noticed it? He couldn't take it off; that would be a misrepresentation of the facts. He was married.

"Uh, no."

"Joint-custody?" she sounded hopeful.

"Not exactly. Look, there's something I need to tell you."

She looked worried suddenly. "Oh God. You're married."

"I'm, well, yeah. I am. Separated, but still married."

"Which is it?"

"What?"

"Separated or married?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it matters! One makes me the other woman, unknowingly and pissed off about it I might add, and one makes you not a slime ball!"

Other people were beginning to stare as her voice rose.

"Calm down, please just let me explain," he began, and she crossed her arms and cocked her head. She was going to let him explain. "My wife left a few weeks ago, after a lot of conversation between the two of us. We decided it would be better to try a separation, so she could move to California."

She nodded, and uncrossed her arms.

"She got a job offer, through this guy she used to work with. It turns out he was more than just a co-worker, however, so she's out there, with him. Meanwhile, I'm here, staying with my uncle for the holidays with my two kids, and then you show up."

"You are good," she ventured, biting her lip. "You're making me feel bad for you."

He pulled his left hand up to take a drink of his wine.

"Oh God. Yep, there it is," she motioned to his ring finger.

"Yeah. It never even occurred to me to take it off. It's never been off."

"So, this must really be hard for you."

"It's not easy."

"I went through this three years ago. No kids, thank God, but my ex-husband left me for another woman."

"Now, there's an idiot," he offered.

"Do you want to get back together with your wife?"

"I don't know," he admitted honestly.

She nodded. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Why did you agree to go out with me?"

He smiled at her, and thought for a moment. "I hadn't had that much fun in a long time, as I had when I was talking to you."

"Wow. There's a compliment."

"I just figured even if it turned out, well, like this," he gestured, "that it would be better than sitting around wondering if some other man was fucking my wife."

"You like the graphic images, don't you?"

"Yeah, well."

"Besides, this isn't so bad."

He looked up in surprise. "No?"

"Oh, trust me. You should have seen me, on my first date back after Eric left," she cringed.

"What happened?"

"Well, my date ended up with my dessert all over his head, I cried 75 percent of the evening, and ended up with the world's worst hangover the next morning."

"Pleasant."

"Yeah. Not one of my finer evenings."

He took another sip of wine, taking in the atmosphere. It really was a nice place she'd suggested. He wasn't sure if this really would go anywhere, but he figured at least they'd probably be friends. She lived so close to him in the city, and that alone cemented their ability to stay in touch.

"Thanks," he said suddenly.

"For what?"

"For being understanding, for not storming out—and especially for keeping all your food off of my head," he snickered, and she threatened to launch some of her food off her spoon at him.

&&&&

Will sat down with the largest tub of popcorn the movie theater sold. Anna had saved their seats while he ran to the concessions stand. They'd just had dinner, but he figured having something to do with their hands couldn't hurt. Dinner had gone really well, at least, after she came over to the apartment and they got into his car from there. Dave had already left to get Mallory, though he warned Will he'd be back that night. As if Will would honestly try anything on the first date. Especially with what she'd gone through recently. It occurred to him then that a physical relationship with Anna might have to be put on hold indefinitely, depending on how she was recovering. That aspect had never really entered his mind before—he'd been concerned for her, but her willingness to get intimate with a guy again hadn't been his business. Until now, that is.

"Hey, is this for us, or our row?" she whispered, leaning over into his ear. The previews were just starting, and she hated people who talked loudly once the lights dimmed.

"Hey, only the best for my girl."

"Well, this girl is going to bust if I eat half of that," she giggled.

He smiled at her, and noticed her hand resting very close to his leg. He wondered if this were some sort of go-ahead to hold her hand. Suddenly he second-guessed all contact that she might not welcome. Luckily for him, during the second preview, she moved her hand to cover his, and he took her hand in his, as he'd done in the car the day before. Maybe it wasn't quite as difficult as he thought. Letting the girl lead in the physical areas had always been his style—something he'd picked up from sage advice from Jess and Tristan, not to mention his father. Respecting women was a part of how he was raised. And if there was anyone he respected, it was most definitely Anna.

&&&&

"Where's the kung-pao?"

"Where is the remote?"

"Is it the green peppers or the red peppers that make your head explode?"

Rory and Tristan worked at passing around the dozens of boxes of take-out as everyone attempted to get situated for food and games. All the teenagers, including Ella, Billy, and Jane—newly returned and starved from their road trip—had assembled just ten minutes earlier at Lorelai's house.

"Why do you need the remote?"

"I was going to play the movie trivia game," Jake explained.

"Try the couch cushions," Rory instructed.

"Did it."

"Under the coffee table?"

"Nope."

"On top of the television?"

"Why would it be on top of the television?"

"Just, humor me."

He moved through the crowd, and found the remote on top of the television, behind a candle that was perched on top as well.

"What good is a remote if you have to get up to get it?"

"We need to form teams," Tristan reminded, as there were only four game pieces and nine of them.

"Guys versus girls!" Ella yelled.

"Five against four, that's fair," Ambrose said smugly.

"Yeah, see how hot you are after you lose," Jules shook a chopstick in her brother's face.

"Hey, no eye removal via chopstick," Rory warned.

"Sorry," Jules smiled sweetly at Rory.

"Can I not play?" Jane asked.

"Why not?" Ella asked, sighing dramatically. Her actions caused Billy to laugh, and Tristan shot him a look. He'd noticed a closeness in the few minutes they'd been back that hadn't existed when they left. It was as if a sort of an unspoken conversation was constantly going on between them. He wasn't a big fan of this newfound closeness.

"I haven't seen a lot of movies, I won't be much help."

"There's a wide range of types of movies represented."

"Mom only lets me watch documentaries. Are there a lot of those on there?"

"Oh. My," Rory said, turning to Tristan.

"Hey, why don't you just be in charge of the remote, and if you feel like you want to play later, you can," he delegated.

"All right," she shrugged.

Everyone rearranged so the girls were on one side of the food-filled coffee table and the boys on the other, so they could confer in their groups. Jane sat at one end, in an armchair as she ate her steamed vegetables, remote in hand. Rory was relieved she'd remembered her dietary needs at any rate. Once they all got settled, the games began.

&&&&

Luke and Lorelai had enjoyed a lovely dinner. Over the years, as their businesses flourished, they'd never really taken to going out for fancy dinners. They continued going to tried and true favorites, but tonight he'd surprised her by taking her out to what had to be the nicest restaurant they'd ever frequented. It had a dance floor with a band in tuxes and everything, and that was where they currently were. She pulled in closer to her husband, enjoying the freedom from the hectic goings on in their lives. Tonight there were no kids, no marital strife, or grandchildren seeking out colleges (just in order to make her feel older than she was, thank you). Tonight it was just her and her favorite guy. If only she could quit talking about all of those things.

"Do you think the date is going well?"

"Ours? Yes, quite well," he tried to steer her away from where he knew she was going.

"No, Will's. How do you think it's going?"

"I'm sure it's fine. Quit worrying."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Lorelai, stop."

"This is huge—he hasn't been on a date since Bree."

"I highly doubt he's got her on his mind."

"I hope not. I feared she'd ruined him, at least for a while."

"Lorelai?" came Sookie's voice.

Lorelai turned away from Luke, to find her best friend. Sookie and Jackson came over to them, and as they made their way over, Lorelai leaned in to Luke.

"Mayday," she whispered.

"I know," he assured her, and they smiled at their friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lorelai asked.

"Jackson surprised me, isn't this place romantic?"

"Yeah, it is. Enjoying the childless night?"

"Completely!" Sookie giggled. "I feel bad for Rory and Tristan, though."

"Hey, they offered. She wants to grill Ella about colleges, anyhow."

"She still hasn't made a decision yet?"

"Not that I've heard of. How's it going with her and Billy?"

"Well, he's not very informative about it, and Jackson won't bug him about it," Sookie shot her husband a look before turning her attention back to Lorelai. "He calls her every other night, though, it's so cute!"

"It's expensive, that's what it is," Jackson corrected.

Luke nodded in agreement. Fathers tended to worry more about the financial aspects of these things, while the mothers enjoyed the cute factor.

"I just hope he's getting the college bug himself," Sookie sighed.

"He can't afford it, what little money there was is going to the phone company," Jackson interjected.

"I'm sure it'll kick in," Lorelai assured her.

"Yeah, even Jess went to college. If he can after his miserable excuse for a high school career, anyone can," Luke offered.

"Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten. And he turned out okay, didn't he?" Sookie sounded relieved.

Lorelai didn't have the heart to explain what Jess' current situation was. Sookie knew about Erin of course, but she feared talking about his date tonight would just bring up yet another discussion of separation, bring down the happy crowd—and worse start them talking about first dates. Any possibility of the topic of Will and Anna being brought up needed to be averted. Sookie would rightfully be excited at the prospect, but Lorelai had to respect this wish of her son. The two couples fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to dance to the live band in a state of 'away from the world of worries' bliss.


	35. Chapter 35

AN: Dates part 2, as promised. Nothing else to add. Enjoy.

Will and Anna sat through the credits after the movie, still holding hands with a half full tub of popcorn on his lap. He'd only made plans as far as dinner and a movie, trying to keep it low key enough not to feel immense pressure. He felt that they could easily make it through both, still having a good time, no matter what. He now found himself wishing he'd planned a lot more, so he wouldn't have to take her back so soon. The lights bumped up and she cleared her throat.

"We should probably get going," she said, causing him to grab the tub with his free hand.

"Yeah, I guess they'd frown on us sitting through another showing for free."

"I'd frown on us sitting through another showing," she commented.

"Yeah, not going to win an Oscar anytime soon, huh?"

"Definitely not."

He let go of her hand, as they both needed to pull on coats. He threw the tub away, and she moved next to him in the hallway. He opened the door for her, and they wandered out into the parking lot. It'd begun lightly snowing, and there was a definite chill in the air. Once she was in the car, he walked around to the driver's side, enjoying the cold winter air for a moment before joining her. He drove back to his apartment, and they got out, standing for a moment in the parking lot. He noted that Dave's car wasn't back yet. He turned to Anna, who was reaching for her car keys.

"I had a really good time," she said, now that she had her cold keys in her hands.

"I don't think Dave's here, if you want to come up for a minute."

She looked around to see he was right, and nodded. "Okay. I'd like that," she smiled, and he took her hand as he led her up to the door.

&&&&

Jess and Gwen had met at the restaurant, she'd insisted on it. She said a first date wasn't the time to make him meet her crazy sister and her family. He laughed, and said his family had the corner on 'crazy'. He walked her out to her car afterwards, and they stood there, lingering for a few moments.

"Thanks for dinner," she said, "Especially considering the circumstances," she added.

"Well, thanks for sticking around through the entire meal," he retorted.

"You're doing fine, I promise."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," she smiled, looking at him in the eyes.

"Do you want to go get some coffee somewhere," he asked, not quite ready to get back to reality.

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, it's just coffee, right?"

"Right, okay."

"Great, come on, we can take my car. I'll bring you back later."

She smiled at him, and took his outstretched arm as he led her off to his car.

&&&&

"IN YOUR FACES!"

"BOYS SUCK! GIRLS RULE!"

"Okay, kids, did no one teach you about winning with grace?"

"Na-na-na-na!"

"Evidently not," Rory said under her breath. The girls' third straight victory in a row over the boys was cause for great celebration. After the first game, Ambrose had declared it a fluke. This enraged all the teenage girls, who then agreed to make it a best of out of five tournament. Rory and Tristan exchanged knowing glances, as they knew how this was going to unfold. Rory and Ella had simply just seen more movies than anyone else in the room. Jake saw a lot, but he read in his room a lot during movie marathons. They were seen as a girls' night activity, as Tristan often took Jake out to places like batting cages when they did boys' night. Billy's family never really did the watch a ton of movies thing, unless they were with Lorelai, and Ambrose really could clean up in a literary game—which he commented after the second win. To which he was met with three tongues stuck out at him. And now, upon the sealing of the victory, the girls were prancing about the room, rubbing it in. Except Jane of course, who was bored and rolling her eyes, still curled up in her armchair.

"Okay, bed time!" Tristan announced.

"Dad!" Ella protested. "It's only like 10:30!"

"And I'm exhausted. I'm taking your mother with me, and therefore there will be no adult supervision. So, to your rooms, please!"

"Tris, come on," Rory said before yawning.

"Hah, see, you're tired too," he laughed.

"We don't actually have to go to bed," Jake said, looking at his dad.

"No, but boys to Will's old room, and girls get the living room. Chop, chop," he said, gesturing to the separate directions.

With that, Billy, Jake, and Ambrose headed off towards the kitchen while Lia, Ella, Jane, and Jules all moved sleeping bags around the room.

"Hey, Rory, do you have your alarm set?" Jane asked.

"Yes, Jane. We'll get you to the airport on time."

"Oh, good. Mom said that you were very punctual."

"Well, how sweet of her," she mused.

"Oh, wait. You're coming with us," Tristan said, grabbing his daughter's wrist and leading her up the stairs.

"Daddy, hey, slow down," she complained as Rory smiled and followed the two.

&&&&

Will moved around the kitchen, while Anna sat down on the couch. She looked around, not quite sure what to do with herself. This whole prospect of dating her best friend meant she suddenly became unsure in familiar surroundings. Normally, she'd flip on the television, or grab herself something to drink. She'd spent the night on this couch more times than she could count, but now—now she was a girlfriend, awaiting instruction.

"You want something to drink?"

"Oh, sure. I can get it, though," she said, beginning to stand.

"Nah, I got it, relax," he smiled, coming to hand her a soda. He sat down next to her on the couch, and sat his unopened soda on the coffee table. He leaned back and put his arm over the back of the couch. He leaned closer to her, to see if she'd meet him halfway. She gave him a coy smile, and then leaned closer as well. He kissed her softly, and he felt her scoot closer in towards him. He let his arm come down from the couch and move around her shoulders. She pulled back a little, and they looked into each other's eyes. He smiled and moved in to kiss her again, a little less hesitantly this time.

And it was like this that Davey found them. He had seen her car and Will's both in the lot, and made as little noise as possible upon entering the apartment. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found them in the living room, but the weirdness factor of seeing his best friend and sister (for the first time) kissing like that—he cleared his throat to make it stop. The two immediately ceased kissing and looked at him. Anna smiled and looked down, and Will stood.

"Hey, you're back."

"Yep. I'm back."

"How was your date?"

"Good. It was good."

"Good."

"I'm going to go, I should get home," Anna said, standing now next to Will. She leaned towards him, and he moved to hug her. She pecked his cheek, and he awkwardly did the same as they pulled out of the hug. She smacked her brother on the bicep as she walked past him, and gave Will one last smile as she exited the apartment.

"So, your date went well, too, huh?"

"Yeah, it did," Will smiled.

"You weren't about to take her back to your room were you?"

"What? No, I wasn't."

"Because she's been through a lot lately. She doesn't need that kind of pressure," Dave warned.

"Oh my God. You're kidding me, right?"

"What?"

"Dave, this is me. How long have you known me?"

"All your life."

"Right. And suddenly because I'm dating your sister you think I'm some careless prick that's just out to do her?"

"No! I'm just saying," Dave started.

"I know what she's been through! She told me first, and I was there for her, through all of it. I'm not going to pressure her to do anything, and you should know that."

"I do. I'm just concerned about her. And you," he added.

"Me?"

"You, dumbass. You've been through a lot. Whether or not you realize it, Bree screwed you up really badly. You were in love with her for like four years, Will. You were going to marry her—you don't just get over that lightly."

"So?"

"So, you need to take this slow as much as Anna does."

"Oh. Right," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, Dave."

"No problem. I'm beat, I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, me too. Night."

"Night," he said, patting Will's back as he moved past him down the hall into his bedroom.

&&&&

Jess sat drinking coffee with Gwen for two hours. He'd never been bad at the dating—some women made it more tolerable of course, and she was one of those women. If he were free, with no responsibilities to anyone else, he'd have stayed out all night with this woman, easily falling into what once had been his good first date activities. And he would have had a damn fine time showing her a damn fine time.

But he had kids, waiting back at Rory's house. He had a wife that should they later decide to get back together, he wouldn't be able to lie to. And should they not end up together, he wouldn't want it any other way either.

So, when she smiled at him after her third cup of coffee, he knew he had to tell her this.

"I'm having a great time," he said in a tone of voice that made her sure it was a precursor to some other topic.

"But?"

"But, I think I need to call it a night now."

"Ah, right."

"And I don't think I should see you again until we get back to New York."

"Oh. Okay," she said, frowning as she looked into her empty coffee cup. "May I ask why?"

"Because, I'm having a really good time with you."

"Is it okay for me to be really confused?"

"I have to take care of my life before I can drag you into it; I don't want to encourage you when I don't know if I can," he explained.

"My, my, someone is full of himself, isn't he?" she teased.

"Am I being presumptuous?"

"Well, yes, but correctly. I like you, too, Jess. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish you had all this behind you, but," she sighed, "I understand."

"Good," he said, taking his last sip of coffee.

"So, we should go," she said, with more than an air of disappointment in her voice.

Once they got back to her car, he got out to say goodbye to her. He hugged her, and leaned his mouth down to her ear. "Thanks for being as disappointed as I am," he said, kissing her cheek as he pulled away from her.

"No problem," she said, nodding. "Call me when you get back to New York," she said, putting a piece of paper in his hands. It was her business card.

"I will. I promise."

She nodded again, and then got into her car. He watched her drive off and shuffled his feet all the way back to his car. He needed to call Erin. Take a long shower, and call Erin.

&&&&

Lorelai lay in Luke's arms, and buried her face in his chest.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do!"

"But you did it, that is the important thing."

"She looked so hopeful, and I just lied. I lied to my best friend."

"You omitted details, you didn't technically lie."

"Oh, please. If I omit details with you, you call it lying."

"Well, I'm your husband, that's different. And you did this for your son."

"So? I've known Sookie way longer!"

"Just, go to sleep, I beg you," he tried, holding her a little snugger.

"What? I've been a bad girl, and I don't even get to have the fun of being a bad girl? The universe hates me," she declared.

"I didn't realize you were up for that, you keep ranting about what a bad person you are."

"Oh, Luke, when have I not been up for that?"

He thought about this for a moment, couldn't for the life of him remember a time that she wasn't willing to have sex. Good moods, sad moods, bad moods—actually the worse the mood she started in, the better and more interesting the sex. He moved her on her back in one motion, causing her to emit a little squeal.

"You're right. Let's go."

"You do love me," she sighed happily, melting under him.

&&&&

Ella sat on her grandmother's bed, as her father slumped into a chair. Her mother was leaning back against the dresser, and they both had very different expressions on their faces.

"So, is this an interrogation?" she joked.

"No," her mother assured her.

"That depends," her father piped in at the same time. Rory shot Tristan a look, and he held up his hands.

"I'm kidding."

"We just wanted to hear about your weekend. What did you think of the schools?"

"They were great. It was a fun weekend."

"Ella, college isn't going to be all about fun. Your father and I want you to have a good time, but it's," she began before Ella cut her off.

"You didn't ask specifically about the academic stuff. We got really good tours, except at Princeton where they sort of meshed us together. But both Yale and Sarah Lawrence gave us really specific tours to what we were interested in. Both had excellent journalism schools, and right now it's a real toss up. Both have great professors, interesting programs and will prepare me for top graduate programs."

Rory looked to Tristan, and smiled. He smiled back.

"So, it's one of those two?"

"Yeah, I think so. But I have plenty of time to decide. Unless Sarah Lawrence comes back with a no. They all but handed me my acceptance letter at Yale," she told them.

"So, what are your deciding factors?" Tristan asked.

"Well, at Sarah Lawrence I could come home whenever I needed, easily. At Yale, I'd be close to Grandma, and Billy," she said. A look of surprise covered both their faces.

Before Tristan could say anything, Rory moved in front of him. "So, Billy is a consideration?"

Ella looked down at her hands, and shrugged. "Maybe."

"Wow. We didn't realize, I mean, when did this become serious?"

"It's not really serious, yet," she assured them. "But it might be, by then."

"You're only seventeen," he father reminded. Rory nodded in agreement, glad he was being level headed about their baby girl telling them she was willing to base her future off of a boy she'd been dating just three weeks.

"But I've known him forever."

"Yeah, but, you've only been seeing him three weeks. You haven't even seen him, it's all been on the phone."

"Mom said that you and she got serious because of all your phone calls and emails when you first got together."

"We'd known each other--," he began, but realized he was helping her case. "I mean," he started, but couldn't find words. He turned to Rory, "Tell her what I want to tell her."

"Ella," Rory said gently, "We just want to make sure you go wherever is best for you. And trust me, I based my college off of what my grandparents wanted and where I thought my boyfriend was at the time, but he ran off like a month after I made my decision. Now, I was lucky, it was the best place for me, but trust me—you should do what you feel is best."

"Who was the guy?"

"Jess."

"Uncle Jess?"

"Yes," Rory said sheepishly, and leaned back against Tristan.

"Uncle Jess ran out on you?"

"Ella, we're straying from the point, here," Tristan reminded her. "Now, do you understand what we're saying?"

"Yeah, I do. And thanks, for wanting the best for me. I'll let you guys know as soon as I decide."

"Good," Rory smiled, and moved to hug her daughter. She moved to her father next, and he bear-hugged her. She giggled and left the room to rejoin the other girls in the living room. The lights were out, except the one coming from under the boys' room. She saw headlights shut off outside, and she moved to the window. She saw Jess' car, and she grabbed her jacket and slipped out the front door.

Jess was surprised to see Ella up and out at this hour. He smiled and stopped on the porch steps.

"Hey, sneaking off for a hot date?"

"Nah, just saw you coming."

"Ah."

"How was your date?"

"You knew about that, huh?"

"Jules told me."

"Right. It was okay."

"Not a keeper?"

"Not right now, anyway."

"I don't get it."

"Me either. So, you should get to bed."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Were you really the reason Mom chose Yale?"

"What? I doubt it," he shook his head.

"She said she chose it 'cause you were here, and then you took off on her."

"Oh. Well," he started.

"Why did you leave her, I mean, if she thought you were worth staying around for, why didn't you think so, too?"

"Well," he shifted uncomfortably, leaning against the porch rail.

"I mean, what happened?"

"Ella, come here," he said, motioning for her to sit down. He stood in front of her, and crossed his arms over his chest. "What is this about?"

"I just wondered, why did you leave back then?"

"I didn't do so great in high school, I'd sort of let Rory and Luke down, so I kind of went off to find myself."

"To find yourself?"

"To go out into the world, and see what I wanted to do with my life."

"And you found it?"

"After I came back. Turns out it was in New York."

"Oh."

"What's up, kid?"

"I'm trying to decide where to go to school, and Mom and Dad are pressing me not to include Billy in my decision."

"Well, they kind of do have a point," he started. "If you were my kid, I'd tell you the same thing."

"But what are you going to tell me as my cool godfather?"

He smiled. This girl knew how to work people. "As someone who cares about you, I'd say to trust what you're feeling. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"Thanks, Jess," she said, hugging him. "It's cold out."

"Yeah, it is, let's get in."

She opened the door, and went to snuggle down into her sleeping bag. Jess kissed the top of Jules' head, and moved down the hall to say goodnight to Ambrose. After he checked in on both of them, he got back into his car; off to the Dragonfly and that cold shower that was awaiting him.


	36. Chapter 36

AN: So, I was trying to figure out how much longer this is going to get. My answer, after much planning is: I have no idea. So, to everyone's who is reading and enjoying, thanks and here's another installment.

He hadn't slept all night. He'd tried warm milk around 3am, blocking out all light from coming into his room at 4am, and blaring music around 6am. He'd gotten close to sleep with the music until Ambrose and Jules came in to check on him in the late morning, and turned it off. Now he tried to sit up and be coherent as his kids climbed on the bed. They hadn't done that together for over five years. They all used to climb into the same bed, and Jess would read to them and Erin would listen as well. This was how most of their Sunday mornings were spent from the earliest years. The good memories made him smile, but he wondered if they'd ever stop being painful now.

"How was your date?" Jules asked, trying to sound okay about it.

"It was fine," Jess yawned.

"How late were you out?"

"He was back around midnight," Ambrose hit his sister with a pillow. "He came over to the house last night."

"You were sleeping, Jules, I wasn't going to wake you."

She smiled and leaned back against his chest.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to look at her face.

"Mmmhmm."

"You should get started with your tutoring today," he broke out the official father tone.

She scrunched up her face in disinterest. "Dad, it's Christmas."

"It's a break when you don't have new stuff to get further behind on."

"Damn," she said, rolling away from her dad and pulling a pillow over her face. Hearing her choice of words, something Erin tried to discourage in the kids, he held the pillow over her face for a second as she smacked his hand away.

"He just wants to get rid of us so he can go back to bed," Ambrose smirked.

"Why are you still here?"

"Why are you still in bed? It's almost 11am."

"I'm tired. I have these children who won't leave me alone."

Ambrose rolled his eyes, and moved to grab his sister's hands to pull her up. "Come on, we can go find Jake."

"Do we have to?"

Jess was watching his kids' converse about what exactly to do once they let him get back to sleep when his cell phone rang. He reached out without a thought and grabbed it off the nightstand.

"'Lo?"

"Jess, it's me."

"Oh, hey."

"Is this a bad time?"

"No, it's not. I was going to call you, actually."

Both kids were blatantly staring at him, not trying in the slightest to leave anymore. Both were still on the bed, with Jess looking very uneasy.

"I just wanted to know how you were."

"I don't know how to answer that."

"Why?"

"Can you hang on a sec?"

"Uh, sure," she said hesitantly.

He covered the receiver and looked at his kids sternly.

"Who is it?"

"It's your Mom."

"Can we talk to her?"

"Just, go to your room, and I'll come give you the phone after I'm done."

They nodded and got up, leaving him alone with the phone.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Look, Erin, I can't tell you how I am—I feel like my whole life is on hold. I can't do anything, not like this."

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

"I know you are, but Erin, I can't do this. We're married, but you're keeping me in this limbo, and I can't," he said, getting more frustrated.

"Is this about your date? You're frustrated because of that?"

"Fuck, listen to me! I don't _want_ to be with other women. This isn't about me, it's about us, Erin. You and me. Whether or not you want to be married to me anymore."

She was silent after his reaction. His frustration grew, as he felt she was keeping him in the dark on purpose. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, and it killed him.

"You can't keep putting this off on me. I love you, but," he paused, not wanting to instigate a worsening situation out of his angry words. "We need to make a decision."

"I know. I know."

"Are you coming out for Christmas?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"You don't have to come to all the family things here, you can hit your folks house, but you should at least see Ambrose and Juliet."

"It's only like five days away, Jess."

"So, now you're content with a phone call to your kids on Christmas?"

"Jesus, Jess, no, but it's going to be expensive."

"I can pay for it, they shouldn't have to suffer just because you're short some cash."

"No, I'll pay. I'll make the arrangements and call you back."

"The kids wanted to talk to you."

"I'll call you back in fifteen minutes, I'll talk to them then. Are they doing okay?"

"Oh, yeah, they're peachy."

"Jess," she warned.

"They're fine, considering their parents aren't living in the same state. They're going to be fine," he assured her. He was going to make sure of that.

"Alright. Fifteen minutes."

"Fine."

He hung up the phone and wanted to scream. If she wanted to reconcile, she had an ass-backwards way of showing it. He knew she was implying that he wanted to date and get rid of her, but he wasn't about to stoop to her level and ask her about her current love life. He pulled the pillow back over his head and slid back down on the bed.

&&&&

When Luke headed off to work the next day, after going home and changing, Lorelai went out as well. She drove straight over to her son's apartment and ran up to the door. After a minute of knocking, her son opened the door, not looking very amused.

"Mom, I hate that."

"Well, you won't give me a key."

"I wonder why?"

"We need to talk."

"Okay. Have you had coffee?"

"Just, let me in, will you?"

He sighed, and stepped back, allowing his mother to walk into the main room. Davey was sitting in his boxers on the couch, eating cereal and playing on the Playstation.

"Dude!" he yelled, pulling a blanket from the other end of the couch around himself.

"Aw, please. I literally used to change your diapers."

"We don't have to talk about that again, do we?"

"Hey, where is the appreciation? I saved you from under a bed," she reminded him.

"And I'm grateful. I'd still like all comments to you seeing my naked posterior to cease."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and looked to Will. "So, how was the date?"

"It went really well, actually," he said, ready to continue, but she jumped in.

"Great, so when are you going to tell Sookie?"

He let his head drop back and he closed his eyes. He should have known this would come sooner or later—but he was hoping for later.

"Mom, no. Not yet."

"But why? It's going well, right?"

"We've had one date," he said slowly, as if she were unaware.

"No, you don't understand, I had to pretend I had no knowledge of this. Why did you tell me?"

"So, now you want me to keep my life from you so it won't infringe on your friendships?"

"That would be greatly appreciated, but for now, I need you two to be out of the relationship closet."

"No."

"Will, ahhn, come on! How long are you going to hold out on this?"

"Until we're ready. I'm sorry, you're going to have to have privileged knowledge for a while. I know it's rough," he coddled her.

"Fine. But you owe me."

"I thought I was still paying on the whole 'I gave birth to you' thing."

"Right, right. So, I'll just add it on to your sentence."

Dave watched this whole exchange, and snickered. Lorelai really was good at the pleading, but Will had inherited just enough of Luke's no-nonsense attitude to be partially resistant to it. All the best people in her life were, though he'd never met anyone completely resistant to her 'charms' as she called it.

"Are you sworn to secrecy, too?" she turned to Dave.

"Actually, no. I figured it out on my own, no one told me anything, including not to tell Mom and Dad."

Will shot him a look, and groaned. He couldn't win, these two were impossible. "Look, just please don't make me crazy about this. It's going well, and I really like her. And I really don't want to do anything to mess this up. Please?"

Lorelai smiled at her son. "Sookie's knowing won't mess this up."

"Mom, you said yourself that she'd be planning a wedding, that's pressure neither of us needs. We want to enjoy this, and go slowly."

"Well, she loves you both, is it wrong for us to be excited about this?"

"No, but how would have felt at my age to have your parents planning a wedding with someone you'd only had one date with?"

"Hey, I had my parents trying to marry me off at sixteen," she reminded, but still her face fell from her prior excitement. "But I get your point."

"Good. Now, go. We need to play video games in our underwear," he smiled.

"You boys are no fun. Are you sure you don't want to go Christmas shopping with me?"

"I'm all done."

"Even for Anna?"

"Yes."

"Did you shop before or after you asked her out?"

"Before. Why?"

"What'd you get her?"

"A book."

"EHN! Wrong," she said, gesturing her thumb over her shoulder.

"What? She'll love it."

"A book is a friend gift. You give your girlfriend a book, and it's like saying, here's something to do instead of me," she instructed.

"God, Mom!"

Dave put his head in his hands, still in disbelief at how Lorelai's mind worked. If his own mother had ever said such a thing to him, he probably would have passed out. He cringed even more because she was making these remarks about this about his sister.

"Well, I'm just trying to help you out. If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"I'll see you on Christmas Eve," he said, moving to open the door. As he did, he surprised Anna, who'd just walked up to the door.

"Oh, hi," he said, surprised.

"Hey, Anna," Lorelai smiled brightly at her.

"Hey, Aunt Lorelai," she smiled. "Is this a bad time?" she turned to Will.

"No, Mom's just leaving, and Dave, he needs to put clothes on," he said, furrowing his brow towards his friend.

"FINE!" Dave said, standing up causing the blanket to fall and he made his way down the hall mumbling about how a man should be able to sit in his underwear and eat cereal in his own house.

"Wow, my brother, I'm so proud," she grimaced.

"Oh, Anna, could you tell your mom something for me?"

"Sure, what?"

"Uh, just tell her that I need her to come by the house, to sign some papers for the Inn."

"Oh, okay. Sure," she smiled again. Both the kids looked at Lorelai as if they couldn't wait for her to leave. She felt like the old drag of a parent whose immediate departure set off a make-out session. But she couldn't help but be happy for Will. He really deserved to be happy.

"See you kids later, then," she said, giving one last smile before heading out.

"What was all that about?"

"Nothing. Trust me. Just Mom being Mom."

She smiled and nodded. She understood. He loved that about her. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to see you," she sighed, in that happy-new-relationship-contented way. She wrapped her arms around him as well, and they forgot about families and Christmas presents, and anything else that might have been in their minds before.

&&&&

Rory poked her head into the room where Ella was staying at the Dragonfly. She was lying on the bed, writing furiously in what appeared to be a journal. Wanting to be respectful, she knocked on the doorframe. Ella's head snapped up, and she shut the cover to her journal.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

"Busy?"

"No, I'm just thinking."

Rory nodded. "How about some shopping therapy? Lorelai's downstairs, ready to take us to the mall," she offered figuring her daughter couldn't resist the offer. Ella had definitely followed in the women of her family's footsteps as far the thrill of shopping was concerned.

"Well," she bit her lip. Part of her thought the break would be nice, but part of her felt she needed to talk to Billy. She'd been thinking about what Jess had said to her the night before, about trusting her feelings—but she wasn't quite sure what those were yet. She wasn't sure if talking to Billy would make her more or less sure, either. It couldn't hurt to get out of her head for a while.

"Yeah, let's go," she said, shaking her head and smiling.

"Great!" Rory said excitedly. "Your Grandmother is really freaked out about something, so this will be one for the books. She's already babbling about girlfriend gifts."

"Girlfriend gifts?"

Rory shook her head. "I have no idea."

Tristan appeared behind Rory and slipped his arms around her waist. "You're leaving me?"

"Just for the day."

"Sephora?"

"Ooh, Mom, can we?"

"That's going to be another two hours, you realize that," Rory smirked at him.

"I'll never understand you girls."

"Hey, check in on Jess sometime today, will you?"

"My next stop."

"Good. Okay, we're off," she kissed his cheek, as did Ella as they raced down the stairs to meet Lorelai, leaving Tristan to entertain himself for the day.


	37. Chapter 37

AN: Back again. You reviewers rock. Gets me back at the keyboard, so it's a win-win, no? I like to think so.

"Okay, so what is the cosine?" Jake asked for the third time. Ambrose had come and set up their first tutoring session, per Jess' request, and they'd been working on this first problem for twenty minutes now.

Jules stared at her notebook paper, as she barely dragged the eraser end of her pencil over it not; even hard enough to erase the math problem that she'd been working on.

"Come on, Jules. You know this."

"Sorry, I'm just distracted."

"That does seem to be your problem," he agreed. "Do you want to talk about whatever it is?"

"No."

"Look, Jules, whatever is bothering you—you can't keep it all in. You're falling behind in your classes. That's just not like you. You're smart. You could probably be in Calculus with me if you wanted. Just talk about it a little. If it doesn't help, I'll go back to asking you the same question fifty times."

She made a face at him, and put her pencil down. "Fine. Mom is coming for Christmas."

"That's good, though, right?"

"She to make it sound like it would be," she sighed, "But have you seen Dad lately?"

"He has been looking really tired."

"Yeah, and now her being back here is just going to be harder on him."

"But maybe they'll get back together. That's what you want, right?"

She looked down, her long hair falling into her face. She picked up her pencil again, rolling it between her fingers.

"You can't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you, okay?"

Jake nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Before Mom left, for months before, they were fighting. Not arguing, really fighting. We could hear them, they thought we couldn't. I'd go into Ambrose's room, and he'd let me stay some nights, that's how bad it was. And it was never Dad's fault—Mom was just mean to him. Accusing him of weird stuff, and screaming about how he doesn't love her how he was trying to hold her back. It was horrible," she sighed, tearing up a bit, but trying to get all this out.

"And then she left, without telling us. She left; left him to tell us what was going on, even though we knew it wasn't his fault, he made it seem like something they agreed on. And last night, he went on that date. He looked so happy before and after—but now he's putting that on hold until Mom makes up her mind. It isn't fair."

With it all out of her system, she let the tears fall. She didn't care. Jake was practically a brother to her. They'd all been raised together and in the same schools. The last few years, he and Ambrose holed up alone a lot, doing whatever it was that teenage boys do, but he was a constant presence, and someone she trusted.

"Wow. Ambrose hasn't mentioned any of that to me. I mean, he told me about the fighting. I didn't know your Mom was being so. . ."

"Selfish? Yeah. Now, I've been wondering if it wouldn't be better if they didn't work it out."

He looked at her, the one they'd all be so concerned about because she 'needed' her parents reconciled, in surprise.

"You really feel that way?"

She nodded. "Please, don't tell anyone. Not even Ambrose. I feel horrible for thinking it, but it's so hard to see Dad like this."

He nodded. "I promise."

She took a deep breath, and righted her pencil in her hand. "Okay. Cosines. Go."

He looked back at the book to regain his train of thought, and they got on with their math lesson.

&&&&

Tristan couldn't find Jess in his room, so he took a walk around town. He ended up where Jess usually went to hide or think, the bridge. There he sat, cigarette in hand, burned almost down to the filter. He didn't look up, even though Tristan figured he had to hear his footsteps thudding on the wooden planks. He sat next to him and waited.

"I'd offer you one, but this is the last one."

"I didn't know you were smoking again," he said, implying a regular habit.

"I bought this pack at Doose's, on my way from the Inn."

Tristan blew a low whistle, and closed his eyes. This must be bad. He knew Jess' life wasn't exactly smooth sailing lately, but this was not a good sign.

"She's coming in three days."

"Erin? For good?"

"No, because she fucking feels guilty not seeing her kids on Christmas."

"Damn."

Jess snorted, took the last hit off his cigarette and threw it into the lake. "I can't deal with this anymore," he finally said, looking at Tristan.

"What happened?"

"She calls, then won't talk to me. Unless it's to accuse me of things I haven't done. Or even thought of—she just never stops."

Tristan had no words. He sat and listened as Jess unloaded in an uncharacteristic way. Normally he kept his feelings to himself, people knowing he wasn't feeling great because of his sullen reclusion, not because of his telling others about it. But then again, he'd been put through the ringer lately.

"The kids, they can't take it, either. And she just doesn't seem to care. I mean, she has to care about her kids, doesn't she? It's one thing if she now hates me, but," his hand was shaking. Tristan wondered if he was going to vomit from smoking the whole pack so quickly. Or out of anger. He himself did that once.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take the kids to Boston on the 23rd. She agreed that they are going to get to do all the stuff they'd normally do. We'll be back for the Christmas tree lighting on the 24th. After that, I don't know."

"So, how was the date?"

Jess looked at him and for a moment he was sorry he asked. He figured Jess needed a break from talking about Erin, but now he wasn't sure this was the way to do that. Jess' expression changed from hard and angry to neutral until he swore he saw a smile.

"It was actually good."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, she's great. Exactly the kind of person I would want to date," he paused, "But I told her I can' t see her."

"Why?"

"For now. Just for now. She made me promise to call her when we're back in New York."

"Are you going to?"

"Yeah. Either way, to let her know. It's not right to keep her hanging; we had a really good time. I know you don't understand this, but I'm trying to do this all right. I just don't know what the hell is happening from moment to moment."

"I'm not going to lie to you, I know Rory and I have been lucky—hell, more than lucky. My parents went through hell, when Dad became an asshole and started cheating on Mom, it was because he was on drugs. Do you think she could have something else going on, that's making her do all this?"

"I just think she's not in love with me anymore."

Tristan felt horrible for him, the tone of his voice (not to mention his words) was just heartbreaking. He'd never be able to utter those words himself. If Rory didn't love him anymore, he wasn't sure he'd continue to exist. So much of him was her now. It was obvious that wasn't the case with Jess and Erin. He sat next to his friend, and they sat there until both were numb from the cold.

&&&&

They'd hit every store in the mall. Some of them more than once. The three women slid themselves, dozens of bags, and trays of food down at a table in the food court. Ella had been fairly quiet all day, but her mother and grandmother's constant babbling seemed to make up for her being lost in her own thoughts. Or so she thought.

Lorelai looked from Ella, who hadn't said more than three whole sentences all day, to Rory. Rory caught her eye, and they shared a look. All three silent now, except the sound of chewing, Lorelai couldn't take it.

"What gives, Els?"

Ella put her cheeseburger back down and looked at her grandmother, as if considering her options. Lorelai wasn't one to let a subject drop, especially when she knew something was bothering you.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?"

Rory looked again from her own mother quickly before answering her daughter. She didn't like this tone, especially in a public place.

"Sure, Hon, what is it?"

"Why didn't it work out with you and Jess?"

Lorelai made a choking noise, and Rory's mouth hung open. "What?"

"Wasn't it serious with you and him?"

"Well, sort of. But it just wasn't right."

Here she thought her day would be stellar once she saw Jane off to the airport that morning. She'd gotten up at 6am, driven young Jane and made sure she got to the security gate. She'd never been so glad to get rid of a kid, and she hadn't spent much time with her. She talked non-stop about what a pitiful excuse for learning the Ivy Leagues were turning into. Paris really had ensured Jane's need to explore extensive therapy later in life. When Rory collapsed back in bed around 8am, she dreamed of a day of happiness, shopping with her girls. And now this.

"Are you ever sorry it didn't go differently?"

"What is this about?"

"If you were in love with him, enough to go to Yale to stay with him, did that just go away?"

"Love isn't always that easy, Els," Lorelai offered, trying to help her daughter out.

"Honey, I don't have any regrets for how my life turned out. I'm glad that Jess and I got as close as we did, because look how it turned out. I'm so glad that he and I can be close friends now. And if we'd stayed together, I might not have found your father again. I've never had a doubt about being with him."

"So, how do you know when it's right?"

"You aren't going to like my answer."

"What is it?"

"You just know," Rory shrugged. She'd always hated that answer herself; so trite, but it was true.

"But you did love Jess? I mean, were you in love with him?"

"At the time, yes. I was."

"So, how was that not the same as with Daddy?"

"Is this about Billy?"

Ella looked down at her mostly untouched food. "Jess told me that I should go with what I'm feeling. I just don't know what that is. I'm not sure about Billy yet, where it might go. I don't want to not give it a chance, but," she bit her lip.

"Oh, Els, it's only been what, three weeks? Give it some time. You have time to think and feel it out," Lorelai encouraged.

"She's right, don't feel pressured to rush into a decision. About anything," she hinted at something else, which was probably destined for another talk. A much more private one.

Ella nodded. "Am I being silly?"

"No, kid. Love is the best way to turn your life upside down and scatter it in six different directions. Trust me."

"And me," Lorelai added.

"You guys seem to have it so easy. It's hard to believe you ever had love troubles."

"Oh, kid. You and me gotta have some serious Ben and Jerry time and we can chat about love troubles," Lorelai winked at Ella. "The stories I can tell you," she assured her.

"Is it weird for you to talk about Uncle Jess?" she asked, having seen the look on her mother's face through the whole conversation.

"It was just a long time ago, babe. It's, yeah, it's kinda weird," she sighed, and reached out to grab her daughter's hand. "But if my screwed up dating disasters can help you out, by all means, dredge it up," she giggled.

"Thanks, Mom," she said, squeezing her hand back before letting go to take a bite of her hamburger.

"Alright. Weird boy talk over. Let's talk free make-overs," Lorelai said, letting her hands drop on the table with a loud thump, as if to declare a new phase to the day.

&&&&

Will was now concerned about the gift he'd gotten Anna. It'd been a perfectly good gift, he knew that she'd like it. Until his mother had opened her mouth, that is. And after kissing her that morning, he decided that maybe there might be a thread of truth to his mother's logic. So, when he suggested they hit the mall to get away from the families and work on Christmas shopping, she instantly agreed. He figured this way he could get an idea of anything she might really want. Girls always seemed to linger in jewelry store displays and the like. Surely he could get a 'girlfriend' type gift idea. It was the perfect plan.

They roamed the mall, laughing and shopping. He was now waiting outside in the middle of endless center kiosks, while she picked something up that he wasn't allowed to see. Upon her return, he tried to see where she'd gone, but she'd thought to conceal the new bag inside of one of her prior purchases.

"Aw, come on, that's just mean," he pouted a little.

"It's five days away. You can wait five days."

"Man, I never thought you'd turn vindictive," he joked.

"Do you even have a gift for me yet?"

"I do. I've had it for a while."

"Uh-huh," she smiled, and he leaned in closer to her. She pushed her bags around to her backside, "No fair pretending to want to kiss me just to peek," she said softly, shaking her head.

"I'm not pretending," he said, moving to kiss her for real.

When he pulled back and turned to see which direction they now needed to go, he saw something he really wished he hadn't. There, coming out of a maternity clothing store, was a now showing Bree. She had to be five or six months pregnant—he hadn't asked for a lot of details while she was breaking his heart into pieces—and she was definitely showing. Hence the store she was in, he figured. She was staring at him as well, and she'd obviously seen the kiss.

"Hey, you okay?" Anna asked, turning to look where he was looking. "Oh. Shit."

He said nothing, just nodded.

"Do we go over?" she asked, not wanting to make this decision for him.

It turned out not to be a consideration, as Bree was approaching them before he could say a word.

"Hey, Will. Anna," she said, her voice even.

"Bree."

"Hi," Anna offered, still looking at Will for a reaction.

"Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah. What are you doing in Hartford?"

"Mom took me in. I'm moving after Christmas officially."

"Huh."

Silence fell over the three, standing in the middle of a very packed mall concourse. Thousands of frenzied shoppers rushed past them, but none of them seemed to notice.

"I really missed your family party," she said.

"Bree," he warned. She didn't have the right to go there. Not anymore.

"We really should get going," Anna said, slipping her arm around Will's waist, and turning in close to him. She then turned to Bree. "Nice to see you," she said, starting to walk them off down into the mass of people. They walked down into the next chunk of shops, far enough from the other girl and she stopped to check in with him.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm okay. Thanks, for that."

"No problem. It was okay, that I,--?"

"Acted like my girlfriend?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Something like that."

"It's good, I mean, we're not really hiding this. From a lot of people," he said slowly.

"Maybe we should just go ahead and tell everyone," she nodded.

"You sure?"

"Look, everything in our pasts, it's in the past. This is about us, moving forward."

"Good," he smiled. "I'm sorry," he said, looking back down the mall.

"For what?"

"I just, you shouldn't have to deal with that. You know that's completely behind me, right?"

"I know you don't want to be with her. I didn't expect you to be completely over what she did to you. It was harsh," she added softly.

"Well, I couldn't be happier with how things turned out at the moment," he nudged her.

"Good to hear. Come on, we still have some shopping to do," she smiled, and took his outstretched arm. They continued on, spending the rest of the afternoon together and compiling a collection of bags.


	38. Chapter 38

AN: Not mine. I don't remember the last time I put a disclaimer on this story, hmm. But you guys are smart enough to figure it out, right? You realize it's more of a mental illness thing, not a money thing. I have to listen to the voices. . . I wish they paid me something, lol.

Rory jogged into Doose's Market armed with the list her mother had sent her with. Lorelai hadn't been sure who was going to be to what this evening, and she wanted to be prepared for a full on invasion of people. With only five days 'til Christmas, everyone was around and no one had ever been shy about dropping in at the last minute. Luke had been at the diner all day, and she hated for him to have to come home and cook for a crowd, so Rory volunteered to run out to the market. Ella had gone off in search of Billy when the girls got home. Tristan was already at the house, watching movies with Jake, Jules, and Ambrose.

She grabbed a basket, and went about collecting the items on the list. She got milk and bread first, and turned the corner into the next aisle when she saw Jess, up front and in line to pay. She noticed all that lay in front of him was a package of cigarettes. She put her basket down on the counter and grabbed him by the sleeve, hauling him straight out into the cold night air.

"What the hell?"

"You're buying cigarettes?" she half yelled at him.

"Okay, see, we never got married. So this tirade, not happening."

"Jess, what the hell? When did you start smoking again?"

"I never officially quit, more like I drastically cut back," he said, not meeting her eyes.

"Wanna try again?"

"What? I've always had a secret stash. You should ask your husband about his, by the way."

"I'll thank you to leave Tristan out if this, unless those were for him."

"Look, Rory, I quit smoking for you, and then again for Erin—but you know what? Now, it doesn't matter. I don't give a damn. I'm on my own, and I can do whatever I please."

His attitude towards her wasn't something that shocked her. He was hurting, which was blatantly obvious. That didn't mean she was going to take it, however. She made a half-grunting sound, then grabbed him again by the hand and pulled him towards Luke's.

Upon entering the diner, Luke looked up and watched in half-amusement, half-confusion, as Rory dragged Jess up the stairs above the diner to the office. Neither looked amused, more like frustrated and pissed off. He mused that he hadn't seen that skit since before they were dating back in high school, and went about taking orders from customers.

She slammed the door and crossed her arms as she spun around to face him.

"Luke's gonna kill you if that door falls down," Jess commented, looking past her.

"Talk."

"About what?"

"Whatever the hell is wrong with you, Jess! This is me, you can't fool me."

He caught her gaze. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to deal with it. What he wanted was to be as pissed off as he deserved to be. His marriage was over. He knew it. And he wasn't quite ready for the acceptance phase yet.

"Erin's coming," he said simply.

"Out here? For Christmas?"

"For the kids."

"Oh," she almost tripped over her one word revelation. His emphasis on 'kids' was disheartening. "You mean," she began, not wanting to hear what he was going to say.

"It's over."

"Oh, Jess. No wonder you're pissed."

He let out a sardonic laugh, and shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Yeah, well, get in line," she mumbled, sitting down in a chair that had been left behind.

He looked at her oddly, and sat next to her. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just, Ella keeps asking me about you."

"About me?"

"About us. What went wrong with us."

"Oh, that. She asked me, too," he said, looking seventeen and guilty all over again.

She glanced at him, and gave a half smile. "She's going crazy over the whole picking a college and wanting to see her boyfriend thing."

He nodded. "Must be rough."

She had a far off look in her eye, as if in a moment from the past, "It's not so rough," she said softly.

"She asked me an interesting question, one I couldn't answer."

"What was that?"

"She asked if you went to Yale because of me," he informed her, "I couldn't imagine that was true."

"Well, it's not entirely untrue."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't think you thought so highly of me to give up Harvard."

"I didn't give up Harvard. It's not like I discarded college all together. Yale and Harvard aren't that different," she informed him.

"You don't say," he rolled his eyes. "But it was your dream."

"Well, when you're seventeen and you have a hot boyfriend, it can change those dreams real quick," she admitted, not looking at him in the eye. She was embarrassed, even now, to admit this to him.

"So, I was the reason?"

"Part of it. Not the whole reason. It was complicated."

"I had no idea."

"Right," she scoffed.

"What?"

"You looked up the mileage after I told you. I thought you were planning on making frequent visits."

"I was. At least, for a while."

"Oh. Well, anyway, I think Ella's worried that maybe she and Billy won't last through the transition. I mean, there's a long distance element to it already."

"Like you said, she's seventeen. She'll have other boyfriends."

"I know, but they never like to hear that line."

Jess's smiled faded. "Oh God. I'm going to have to deal with all this stuff with Jules alone."

Rory nudged his arm with her elbow. "Not alone."

He looked to her and smiled. "You guys have done enough."

"You won't be alone in this. Never. We love Ambrose and Jules as if they were our own. And don't pretend you don't feel the same way."

He nodded, grateful, if not feeling deserving of the offer. "You know I do."

"Good. Now come on. Mom's going to kill me if I don't hit Doose's soon. The kids are already at Mom's house. You can help me shop."

"Are you going to let my buy my cigarettes?"

"Nope. Come on, let's go."

&&&&

Ella knocked on the Melville's front door rather impatiently. Sookie opened the door and smiled warmly. "Hey, Pop Tart!"

"Hi, Sookie. Can I come in?"

"Sure, come in! Are you hungry?"

"No, I just came from the mall with Mom and Gramma," she smiled. "Is Billy here?"

"Yeah, I'll go get him," she said, moving down the hall to retrieve her son. Ella clicked her newly manicured nails against themselves, and waited. Moments later, he appeared in the front room, smiling.

"Hey, this is a good surprise," he said, moving closer to her.

She stopped him before he could kiss her. "Can you come out?"

He looked at her strangely, but agreed to go with her. "Yeah, let's go."

They made their way over to the Dragonfly, where she knew they'd be alone in her room for a while. Everyone else was at her grandmother's. She sat on the bed, having not said much on their walk over. He was worried, as he didn't like her behavior. Just last night they'd been crazy for one another, him barely able to resist moving faster than perhaps either were really ready for.

"Ella, what is wrong?"

"I've been trying to decide which college to choose. And the thing is, I can't. It's impossible. I keep thinking about one, then the other pops in, and you know what isn't making my decision easier?"

He shook his head, knowing in a about a second she'd tell him, however.

"What do you want to do with your life, Billy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your life. What do you want?"

"You mean like a job?"

"A career, a family, a general location, anything."

"I'm not sure."

"Oh man," she said softly, almost under her breath. Her tone wasn't encouraging; rather it was full of doubt and unhappiness.

"What does that matter? I'm only eighteen. I don't have to know everything right now," he assured her.

"But you don't know who you are," she said, defeated.

"I'm really not following you, here."

She leaned back against the bed dramatically before pulling herself back up in order to look at him.

"I'm going to go off to college, and say I go to Yale. I go there, thinking I'm going to get to see you, but you're going to have to 'find yourself' and run off to God knows where, and I'll never see you, and we'll break up."

He furrowed his brow, not liking where her mind was going.

"Okay, so then say I choose Sarah Lawrence. I'll be in New York, making it harder for us to make time to get together, and you still have to 'find yourself'. Then we both start accusing the other of being selfish and we break up."

"Wow. We're not good at this relationship thing, are we?" he joked.

She gave him a displeased look and he wiped the smile off his face. He sat down next to her on the bed, and took a moment before asking her his next question.

"Do you want to break up?"

"NO!"

"Then, I am not following you. You're saying that no matter what you do, we're breaking up, so then, what?"

"I don't know. This just seems so impossible."

"Look, Ella, I don't know where all this is coming from, but you can't really make this decision based on me. I told you, no matter what you decided, we'd figure it out."

"But that isn't fair to you," she sighed.

"Hey, I have to make decisions next year, too."

"I know," she said sadly.

"That's it, what is bothering you so much?" he groaned, at her going all withdrawn again.

"This all happened to my Mom. She picked a college that she thought would keep her near her boyfriend. And he ran off across the country on her."

"Oh."

She nodded, and waited for a promise that he wouldn't ever do that to her. He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over the inside of her palm.

"The guy sounds like an asshole," he said softly.

"Don't say that," she replied just as gently.

"You're defending this behavior?"

"No, my godfather."

Billy looked at her strangely, as if something clicked in his brain. "They dated?"

She nodded, and put her head on his shoulder.

"Wow. I never knew that. How did I not know that?"

"They don't talk about it a lot. But that isn't the point. The point is, he didn't know who he was, or what he wanted, and he left his girlfriend, that he loved."

"I can't promise that we won't break up," he began slowly. "But I can promise you that I won't run off on you, especially if I am still in love with you."

She looked up suddenly, wondering if she heard him correctly. Surely she'd misheard him entirely. "What?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you," he looked into her eyes.

"Oh."

"You don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know."

She nodded, feeling like she had vertigo all of a sudden. That was the first time any boy had ever told her he loved her. Well, it was the first time someone had said it not out of jest. Or from a relative.

"I hope that doesn't make your decision harder. Just know that whatever you decide, I'm going to be happy for you. No matter what."

"Okay. Thank you," she said, still in shock.

He looked at her, unsure of her reaction. She stood rather suddenly, causing him to drop the connection their hands had.

"I should get back, they'll be expecting me."

"Okay. I'll walk you."

"No, you go home. It's the other way."

"I don't mind."

"I'll call you later. Okay?"

He nodded, more unsure than ever of what she was thinking. It'd been just a week ago that they'd been having their almost daily phone conversations, where everything was clicking and easy. Now it seemed more often than not he was setting himself up to get his heart trampled on. This was definitely the girl that could accomplish this feat.

&&&&

Luke came home, dreading having to cook as he heard the noise of a crowd even before he opened the back door. He was surprised to see the kitchen table filled with sandwiches, and bowls of chips, and various other dinner items. He felt a surge of love for his wife, as she must have anticipated his being dead on his feet this evening. He'd gone in extra early, for a bread shipment. Christmastime was great, having the whole family around, but he had to admit now that he was older, he was glad to be alone most of the time with Lorelai. They'd had a short courtship, well, after they started dating, and soon were blessed with Will. But now, with everyone grown and living their own lives, they could relax and really enjoy each other.

Lorelai came down the hall into the kitchen, and smiled warmly at him. "I thought I heard the door."

He nodded. "Yep, it's just the delivery man."

"Mm, did you bring me a package?"

He smirked at her, and she giggled. "So, what are you doing all the way over there?"

"I was thinking about you, actually."

"I like the sound of that," she said, nuzzling up to him and pausing before she kissed him. It was that half second of teasing that was her trademark with him, like he should be appreciative of how she was worth the wait. As if he wasn't painfully aware of that fact anyway.

"So, we made sandwiches, and it's a crazy house tonight."

"Do tell."

"Well, Ella is in a mood. A bad one, she's mulling over the college thing, and I don't think it went too well with Billy earlier."

"Great."

"Jules and Jake are being especially talkative with each other, which hasn't happened since they were little. Ambrose keeps looking at them, like they've joined some secret club," she continued.

"O-kay."

"And Rory and Tristan keep watching Jess like he might need medical attention every time he coughs."

"What?"

"I'm just delivering info, I have no idea what's going on. Except with Ella. And Will, who isn't here, by the way."

"You're making me tired."

"That's what I do," she murmured, and moved to get him a plate.

"Oh, hey, Rory and Jess came into the diner earlier, and they both looked upset. What was that about?"

"I have no idea. They were in the diner, and you didn't spy?"

"No, I respect people's privacy. Besides, they went upstairs."

"They went up to the office?"

"Yeah, why?"

"And they were mad?"

"Well, at first. They looked pretty chummy when they came down."

"That's odd."

"I thought so."

"Man, so many people to grill, so little time," she groaned.

"Good luck with that," he said, piling his plate with food. He had no doubt that Lorelai would be omniscient by morning. It was what she did. People were drawn to her. And those who didn't offer it up freely were pounced on. He would eat, chat with the family, and retire to bed. If something broke, he'd fix it. That's what he did. Well, that and cater to her whims. But that was just the icing on his cake.


	39. Chapter 39

AN: I am going to wrap this up. I keep repeating that, like a mantra. No, this isn't the last chapter, but I'm hoping for about three or four more. Man, I never thought I'd get this many chapters out of it. Glad you all seem to be enjoying. As always, thanks for the kind words.

Tristan nudged Rory, and she looked up to see Ella wandering down the hallway towards the kitchen. She'd been mopey and quiet all evening. To say it was out of character for her was an understatement—especially among this group. They both stood up, and wandered down the hall after their sullen daughter. She wasn't in the kitchen, so Rory poked her head into her old bedroom. There, on the bed, lie her daughter.

"Els?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we come in?"

She looked over at her parents standing in the doorway and shrugged. Rory figured that was the best they were going to get, and they moved further into the room. Tristan closed the door, and Rory moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Ella, you were fine earlier. Did something happen with Billy?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she sighed, sitting up a bit.

"Is this about colleges?" Tristan asked. "Because it's so early. You shouldn't be stressing yourself out over this."

"No, Daddy."

Rory looked to Tristan, who shrugged. She nodded towards the door, and he shook his head in protest. She gave him a look, but he was adamant to remain in the room.

"Honey, you're killing us. What is wrong?"

"It's just that Billy, he," she began, but wasn't sure she could get the words out.

"Did he try something? Because I can take care of this," Tristan offered.

"No, Dad, he," she started again, but stopped.

"Did he break up with you?" Rory tried.

"No."

"I don't get it," Tristan said, still looking at his miserable daughter.

"I do," Rory said, looking first at her daughter then at her husband.

Ella looked up at her mom. "How?"

"Tristan, could we have a minute?"

He looked at his daughter, and smiled before nodding. "My offer to break his kneecaps still stands," he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll remember that," she sniffed gratefully. "But I don't think it's necessary."

He nodded and left. Rory turned in fully towards her daughter and put her arms around her. Ella was still quiet but leaned into her mother.

"Did he say something maybe you weren't ready to say back?"

"How did you know?"

"Let's just say, I've been there."

"Oh, Mom, I felt so bad! Here he was, this incredible boy that I like so much, and he's telling me he loves me—and I just feel queasy."

"In shock," Rory nodded.

"Yeah."

"Do you think you love him?"

"I don't know. Maybe, it's just, it's only been three weeks. Can you even be sure of that in three weeks?"

"I don't know."

"Did you freak out when Daddy told you?"

"He didn't give me the chance."

"Do I want to hear about this?" Ella made a face. Her parents were known for their inability to keep their hands off of one another. If it was this bad after twenty years together, she couldn't imagine how sickening they must have been in the beginning.

"We were on the phone," Rory began, "He just told me he loved me and hung up."

"Oh. That's weird."

Rory giggled. "I told him hours later when I picked him up at the airport."

"Oh. So, it wasn't scary with Daddy?"

"It was intense and overwhelming, but I knew it was right."

"So, you didn't freak out about anything with him?"

"I didn't say that."

"So, what made you freak out?"

"The idea of living with him."

"But you loved him," she said.

"I'd never lived with a boy before. You're lucky, my dear, you have two men that you've had to put up with, but it'd just been Mom and I for so long."

Ella nodded. "What do I do?"

"Oh, honey. If he really loves you, he'll understand if you're not ready to say it back. That's how love works."

Ella looked down, as if considering something. Rory smoothed her hair back, enjoying remembering her and Tristan's earlier moments together. It'd just gotten better and better over the years, but it'd all been such a whirlwind in the beginning.

"Mom, can I ask you something else?"

"Sure, Hon."

"It's about sex," she hedged.

"Sex," Rory repeated, as if preparing herself.

"Yeah. We don't have to," she assured.

"No, no, I want us to be able to," Rory said, pulling away from her daughter just a bit.

"Okay. Lately, that has been on my mind. A lot."

"Oh. Well, that's normal."

"But, I shouldn't right? I mean, I'm not even sure how I feel about him."

"I would say that is smart," Rory nodded.

"How old were you, when you first did it?"

Rory knew that someday having children would mean unveiling this level of personal information. Her poor mother, of course, had no way around such information, and suddenly she really felt for her mother in that way.

"I was 19," she responded honestly.

"With Dad?"

"Yes."

"And you knew he loved you?"

"Yes."

"Is that how you knew it was right?"

"Look, honey, no one can tell you what age or boy you'll feel it's right with. Even me, who would love to tell you to wait until you're thirty and married to some prince."

"Mom," Ella rolled her eyes.

"Hey, your dad would say forty-five. Minimum."

"So, you're saying not to listen to you?"

"No, I'm saying to take all the time you need to be sure. And please, be honest with me about it. This talking thing is good."

"Thanks, Mom. I will. Can I stay in here a while? I just don't feel like being with everyone right now," she said, resettling back against the pillows.

"Sure. You wanna stay over? Lorelai won't mind."

"That sounds good," she smiled as her mom kissed her cheek and left the room.

Tristan was waiting in the kitchen, staring off into space. She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned back into her and smiled.

"So?"

"He loves her."

"What? They've been dating three weeks!"

"She didn't say it back," Rory continued.

"Good."

"Tristan! She's upset," she chastised.

"All right. So, that's what's wrong?"

"I think she might love him," she looked into her husband's eyes.

"Why?"

"She was talking about having sex."

"I need to sit down."

She allowed him to move to the kitchen chair and sat on his lap. She ran her hands over his cheeks, and turned his head to look at her.

"She hasn't yet."

"Good. I think I was going to have a stroke."

"She's not five, Tristan."

"I still don't have to like it," he let out a breath. "She loves him."

"Maybe. Nothing's decided," she stroked his hair. "Well, one thing is."

"What's that?" he asked, slightly worried.

"I love you."

He smiled and leaned in closer to her. "I love you, too."

He kissed her, glad to forget about their prior conversation for a while while he pulled her closer to him and lost himself in her touch.

&&&&

"So, Jules, how did the tutoring go?" Jess asked as the remaining few finished the movie they'd been watching. Luke and Lorelai were nestled in an oversized armchair, and the kids were lounged on the couch and the floor. Jess sat on the edge of the couch, with Jules stretched out from the other end, her feet in his lap.

"Fine. We got through Advanced Algebra, and started in on my lit class."

"She knows the stuff, she'll be good by next semester," Jake assured him.

"You know, I'm really better at Chemistry, so I could do that part, if you want," Ambrose offered.

"Sure," Jules shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, Jess, when is Erin coming?" Lorelai asked.

"The 23rd."

"I was just wondering, if we needed to figure her in for any head counts."

"I don't think so, she'll be in Boston."

"Oh, so you guys will all be in Boston?"

"We want to be here," Jules protested, looking at her dad.

"I told her you guys got to call the shots, so whatever you want is what you'll do. I'll be here."

"We'll be here too, Aunt Lorelai," Jules said decisively. Jess watched his daughter, taken aback by her insistence to be here, and not with her mother. Suddenly he felt a relief wash over him, a bit surer that he wasn't going to lose his kids to some wife-stealer in California. It was odd, how the realities of an impending divorce seemed to settle over him, one by one.

"Okay, then," Lorelai said, feeling Luke's grip tighten around her. They could both tell Jess felt some relief from that brief conversation. They had agreed prior to help Jess out in any way possible. They both knew that he didn't require money, but being left suddenly with two teenagers was hard. And there was no way there were going to let those two kids leave him.

&&&&

"I hate shopping," she announced as they hauled the last of their purchases into Will's apartment.

"How is that possible?" he looked at her in disbelief. "You're a girl."

"Last I checked, yes."

He smiled at Anna, and rolled his eyes. "I thought girls loved to shop. The women in my family treat it like some sort of vacation."

"Crowded malls and overpriced merchandise?"

"Okay, now you just sound like my dad."

"There's a turn-on, huh?" she giggled.

He laughed, "Well, as long as you don't start dress like him."

"Damn. Guess I better go back to the mall, then."

He moved over to her, still standing amongst a sea of bags from the mall. He took her hand and led her over to the couch. They sat, looking into each other's eyes as if it were impossible to look away.

"About what happened, at the mall."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. You didn't have to be so cool about that. I don't know if I would have been."

"You would have."

"You give me a lot of credit," he smiled.

"It's you I care about. And trust."

"Good."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"I know you said it was over with her, and I'm glad of that," she looked down at their joined hands. "But would you tell me, if it ever bothered you?"

"I don't quite understand."

"You dated her for years, Will. And suddenly not only are you broken up, but she's pregnant. No one expects you to just be over it."

"It took me a few months, you know that."

"I know."

"But the thing is, I'm kind of glad in a weird way that it happened like it did."

She looked up at him, and he continued. "I think I would have made a big mistake to stay with her. And if all this hadn't happened, we'd probably be still be together."

She nodded, understanding his meaning. She was sure she was blushing, as she got his meaning. "Oh."

"Ann," he said, rubbing his thumb over the palm of her hand. "I don't know how you're feeling about us, but I was serious about letting everyone know about us. I don't want to hide it, 'cause this is something I'm through the roof about."

She nodded. She knew exactly what he was saying, and she felt emotion sweep up over her. He leaned in to kiss her, and she let her actions show him that she too was happy about the developments their relationship was making. Soon they were horizontal, her over him, and neither showed signs of stopping.

She moved her hand instinctively under his shirt, and moved it up as far as the fabric would give, then slid her fingers playfully down, coming to rest at the top of his jeans. She toyed a bit with the top button, which caused him to stop kissing her neck and lean back a bit.

"What's wrong?" came her breathless response.

"Nothing," he said, wanting to tread carefully. In all honesty, her aggressiveness had shocked him, to say the least. He'd worried so much up to this point about what her boundaries would be as far as sex went. He knew she'd had serious boyfriends before, a couple at least, and he'd assumed that she wasn't a virgin. But now, after the last few weeks, he had been prepared to wait.

"Dave isn't coming home, there's a note on the table," she said.

"That's not it," he said, running his hands soothingly over her back so as not to break contact.

"Will."

"Are you ready for this?"

She smiled, for his concern and his unparalleled ability to put others first. She pulled her hands up from under his shirt, to place them on his cheeks. She studied his face, wanting to remember everything about this moment. He was watching her, almost in awe, and finally she smiled at him.

"I'm sure."


	40. Chapter 40

Her slowing breath was providing unneeded heat to his bare shoulder, but he welcomed it. He wrapped his arms around her, trailing one hand down her arm that had landed slung across his chest. He wanted to say something, but there were truly no words—at least none that sprang to mind to tell her how he was feeling at this moment.

"I don't think I can move," she said quietly.

He lifted his head slightly, to look at her. She'd managed to prop her head up so her chin was resting on the top of his shoulder.

"Well, the important part was earlier. You should rest now," he smiled.

"Will, I," she seemed to have the same problem he was having.

"I know," he quieted her, kissing the top of her head.

"No, you don't," she tried again, wanting to get it out.

"I didn't think I'd ever," she paused before continuing. She knew the tears would probably come, and she hoped he let her get all the way through. "Every week, in my group, these women talk about how they can't stand for their boyfriends and husbands to touch them anymore. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to, not for a long time. I just want you to know, that I feel like you've given me something irreplaceable. I felt safe, but it was more than that."

He palmed her cheek, looking into her eyes solidly. His heart broke for her. She'd never talked about that before, though he'd certainly thought about it. It was why he'd been so surprised that she was seemingly ready for this now.

"I don't want you to think that I needed this—I was willing to wait," he started.

"I wanted this. You and us, and everything that means. I'm not going to let what that man did punish us. I want you to know that I'm not over this, there may be times that I can't--," she said, looking down. His arms were so toned, and they felt as strong around her as they appeared to be.

"It's okay," he assured her, tilting her chin upward gently with two fingers. "It's more than okay."

She smiled and nodded, leaning up to kiss his lips lightly. He exhaled and held her head to his chest after she pulled out of the kiss. He'd never felt more content in his entire life than he did right now, holding her to him.

&&&&

Lorelai came downstairs the next morning. She hadn't bothered with a robe, as she was on a specific mission: obtaining a large cup of coffee then back to bed for as long as she wanted. She had volunteered to work this evening at the Inn, so Michel could take off for some party he was dying to attend. She had the whole glorious morning to relax. This included eventually meeting her daughter for a late brunch at Luke's. Luke was still in the shower, not going in until around 9 this morning himself.

She got to the bottom of the stairs when she heard a key in her front door. She was startled for a moment, but didn't have the forethought to pull a blanket off the couch to cover up with. She was still in a rather revealing nightgown, and that fact was not lost on Jess as he stopped dead in his tracks after having opened the front door.

"Shit," he exclaimed, turning around quickly.

"Jess!" she yelped. "What . . . What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, came for Luke. I needed to talk to him."

"He's upstairs. Wait, wait there. I'll be back, with him and more clothing."

She moved quickly up the stairs and slipped into the bathroom. Luke was newly dressed and brushing his teeth when she appeared before him.

"Morning," he said, spitting a second later.

"Oh, morning. Lovely morning, isn't it?" she said in a strange tone of voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Jess is downstairs."

"Okay."

"Yeah, he's downstairs, where I just was. Dressed like this," she said, doing a Vanna White type flourish towards herself.

Luke's eyes got wider, and she wondered if they would stay in his eye sockets. "You—why would you go downstairs dressed like that?"

"Well, obviously to give Jess a free show!"

"Ella's here!"

"Trust me, Luke, I ain't got nothing she ain't seen before, well, maybe a glimpse of the future, but other than that," she rambled, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I hope Jess hasn't seen this before," Luke grunted.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you," she joked.

He gave her a disapproving look. "I don't get your sense of humor some times," he lowered his voice.

"Hey, wanna know who's not happy about this?" she pointed all fingers at herself, "Yep, me! Go, put a memory charm on him!"

"A what?"

"God, didn't you read Harry Potter with the rest of the world?" she groaned.

"Is he still downstairs?" he asked, ignoring her.

"Yes, gauging his eyes out."

"Get dressed. I'll go down."

"Shoo, shoo," she said, pushing him out of the bathroom, and grabbing her robe off the back hook. "Why did you forsake me?" she asked the article of clothing before slipping it around her and securing it tightly.

&&&&

Luke came down the stairs, to find Jess staring at the front door.

"You okay?"

"Luke?"

"The one and only. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, uh, I was just," he started, then turned around slowly. "Oh, good."

Luke raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't see anything," he promised.

Luke smirked at his nephew's discomfort.

"Stop it."

"You hungry?"

"Sure."

"Great, come to the diner. I have to get going."

Jess sighed, knowing this meant he was going to be put to work. He nodded and followed his uncle out the door to his truck. Luke started it up, and Jess slid in beside him.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know, I have to run the kids up to Boston in a couple of days. We'll probably be gone most of the day, but we'll definitely be back for Christmas Eve."

"Jules seemed pretty insistent," Luke agreed.

"Yeah. I thought," he looked out the window for a beat, watching all the familiar landmarks that fell between the old Gilmore house and the town square as they passed by, "I was afraid they'd want to be with Erin. I'm still kind of freaked about it," he admitted.

"Those kids love you," Luke shook his head.

"I know, but she's their mother."

"It's not going to happen."

"Thanks."

Luke nodded, looking over at Jess. He wondered how much sleep he'd been getting. At least he could feed him and keep him busy. The rest of the ride to the diner was silent as the two men were lost in their own thoughts.

&&&&

Tristan kept smirking at her. She could feel his taunting gaze on her. She looked up from her plate, and narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"How come you never gave me the free show?"

"You told him?!"

"What? He's my husband, I have to tell him things!" Rory held up her hands in defense.

"Ohmygod!"

Jess came around with coffee refills. Lorelai plastered her hands to her face, the blush creeping up from her neck.

"So, how much did you see?" Tristan leaned back, looking up at Jess.

Jess paled a little. "Uh, nothing," he left the coffee pot and turned away quickly.

"Mom! What exactly were you wearing?"

"Hey, it's my house! Mine, and if I wanted to walk around naked, I could!" she protested.

"Were you?" Tristan was a little taken aback.

"NO!"

"Okay, enough of giving Mom a hard time," Rory announced.

"Thank you."

"But should my son or husband come over, in the future, I'd like to insist you be covered, at least from here to here," she motioned with her hands blocked off from her collar bone to her knees.

"Haha," Lorelai stuck her tongue out.

Tristan snickered again and put his arm around his wife.

"So, how was Ella this morning?"

"She was online, didn't want breakfast."

"Online?"

"I didn't pry, I'm not her mother," Lorelai sighed.

"No, you're her grandmother. Her grandmother who wanders around the house scantily clad," Rory began.

"GAH! Fine, she was on Yale's website."

Rory smiled, and dug back into her eggs. Jess refused to join them, saying he'd already eaten. Luke was too busy to really stop and chat, as the morning rush continued strong into the lunch rush. Being as such, Luke kept loudly reminding them that paying customers were waiting for seats. It was how the business worked; customers came in, ate, and left, making room for new customers. He was almost cracking them.

Until Will walked in. With Anna, seemingly surgically attached to him.

Catcalls ensued.

Even Jess, still a little traumatized, came over to the table.

"So, Son, anything you'd like to share with the group?"

"You guys done? I'm starved," he announced, unwavering.

More catcalls. Anna was blushing, and turned in further towards Will. His arm held strong at her waist, and he rubbed her back a little.

"So, little brother, where were you last night?"

"We did some Christmas shopping."

"Is that all you did?"

"I'm not dignifying that with a response," he said to his sister, as they stood still next to the now foodless table that Lorelai, Tristan, and Rory occupied.

"Man," Rory glared at him.

"So, are we going public here? 'Cause the 'can't keep your hands off each other' thing won't quell the rumors that the gossip mongers have already sent flying around town," Lorelai raised an eyebrow at the pair.

"We're together," Anna nodded, to which Rory and Lorelai squealed.

Jess slapped Will on the back. "You guys eating?"

"If we get a table," he said, pointedly at his mother.

"Fine, we're going, we're going," she said, getting up, allowing the two to sit. Others who'd been waiting for a table, groaned in frustration.

"Oh, can it," Jess muttered to the grumblers, moving back to get more coffee.

"Just do me a favor," Lorelai asked, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Tell Sookie. Like as soon as you get done eating. Don't let her find out from anyone else," she kissed her son's cheek, and put her hand on Anna's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

&&&&

"What would you have done all these years without me?"

Tristan looked at Jess, and stopped throwing the tennis ball against the wall of Jess' room at the Inn. Jess had spent the morning and into the afternoon at the diner helping Luke out, before coming back.

"What?"

"You know, all these family events, what would have done to keep yourself sane without me around?"

Tristan laughed. "It'd been a lot less interesting, that's for sure."

Jess nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about when the kids were still in diapers and we used to take them out, to give the girls a break. Do you remember that?"

"I'm surprised any of us came back alive," Tristan nodded.

"Well, there were four of them, and two of us," Jess commented.

"Duct tape on those diapers that wouldn't adhere," Tristan snorted.

"Hey, it was the last of the diapers, and I had the tape in the car."

"I don't know if it scared me more that we had all four of them in high chairs at a bar, or that they had high chairs in that bar."

"Ella eating, like, four bowls of beer nuts?"

"She did charm the hell out of that bartender."

"They would have killed us if they found out."

"Rory knows."

"You told her?"

"I was foolishly honest with her," Tristan smirked. "I hoped she'd think it was funny."

"And you lived to tell about it."

"I did all diapers and laundry for a month," he laughed.

"Geez, glad I kept my mouth shut," Jess laughed. "Is that why she kept checking Jules' diapers?"

"For duct tape, yeah."

Jess nodded, and leaned back. "It was fun back then, wasn't it?"

"It's going to get better, Jess."

"I know. I was just thinking."

Tristan nodded. He looked at his long time friend and partner in crime. "All right. That's it. Get up. We're getting out of here."

Jess made no sound of protest. He could use some time to clear his head with someone that wouldn't let him beat himself up about this. They grabbed their coats and headed out to the car.

AN: I do have a few more things I want to get done here. It might be a smidge longer that I'd originally anticipated. I will definitely get back to Billy and Ella in the next chappie. And a few others we haven't heard from in a while, too. 


	41. Chapter 41

AN: This is now officially the longest story I've ever done, lol. And this is the one-year mark of my posting on Yep, just one year ago, I was nervously uploading my first story. Praying for a review. Ah, memories. Hehe. Here's another chapter, enjoy!

"Are we going to a strip club?"

"Do I look like I have a death wish?"

Jess snickered. "Then were are we going?"

"We're almost there."

Jess nodded, as Tristan continued to drive. They were definitely in Hartford, but this wasn't an area he was familiar with. They were in one of the ritzier areas of Hartford. Jess had never gotten used to having money, though he supposed he did now. He had two kids in private schools and money saved for both of their colleges. Not to mention a nice apartment in the city, and a retirement fund. But he would never describe himself as well off.

Tristan pulled into the Hartford Country Club and pulled into a reserved spot. Jess looked at him and frowned.

"We're at the country club."

"Yep."

"In a reserved spot?"

"It's Dad's. He keeps up his membership, even though they retired to North Carolina."

"And we're here because?"

"Because they pay for food whether they eat it or not."

"So, we're here to eat your parents' otherwise wasted food?"

"Yep. They're staying down south this winter. So, come on," Tristan said, getting out of the car.

"I thought you were supposed to be making me relax."

"What better place?"

"For me? A bar. A bookstore. A gym."

"Well, there's an open bar, a library, and a full gym on premises. Plus we can get massages, eat, or a plethora of other things."

"Hmm."

"Rethinking your prior comment?"

"No. I'm just not as opposed to the idea," Jess smiled, following Tristan as he shook his head and entered the dining room.

&&&&

After receiving an honest-to-God pleased smile from Luke Danes, Will and Anna left the diner and walked over to the Melville residence. They stood outside the little gate, hand-in-hand.

"You ready?"

"Just a second."

"Okay."

Anna took a deep breath. "Okay. Let me do the talking."

"No argument."

"I hope you stay this agreeable," she smiled, and leaned into him quickly.

"Let's just, do this, shall we?"

"Okay. I'm going in."

He nodded and followed her in the little gate and up the stoop to the front door. She extracted a key from her purse and let them into her parents' house.

"Mom? Dad? Anybody home?"

"In here!" Sookie's voice boomed from the kitchen.

Anna ran through her mind what she should do to get her mother out of the kitchen. Telling Sookie about her and Will near an open flame might result in the charred remains of her family's home. She couldn't carry that weight on her shoulders.

"Mom, where's Dad?"

"Out back, in the greenhouse," she called.

"Can you meet me out there?"

"Oh, sure, I'll be a sec," Sookie popped her head out the door from the kitchen. "Hey, Will!"

"Hey, Sookie."

"Just a sec, I have to take something out of the oven," she winked at her daughter.

Anna smiled and nodded, and led Will out around to the greenhouse. She opened the door, taking in a deep breath. She loved the smell of her father's greenhouse. When she was little, she used to bring her dolls out here and play—later she used to bring a book out and read. And now she was making a big announcement to her parents. Maybe one of the biggest announcements of her life.

"Hey, Sweetie!" Jackson said, standing to kiss his daughter on the cheek. "Wanna try something?"

"Maybe in a minute, Dad," she smiled.

"Will? You like artichokes, don't you?"

"Ah, well," he hedged, furrowing his brow.

"Hey, I'm here! What's going on?" Sookie said, joining the group.

"Oh, Mom, good. I have something I want to tell you both," she said, as her parents slipped their arms around each other.

"Is everything okay?" Sookie didn't want to get her hopes up—Will had been by Anna's side through the whole rape ordeal—but her hope this was what she wished it was held strong.

"Well," she smiled, and slipped her hand into Will's. "Actually we have something to tell you."

Sookie let out a squeal. "Really?"

"Really," Anna nodded.

"Really what?" Jackson asked.

"They're dating!" Sookie hugged them both at once.

"You are?"

"We are!"

"I'm so happy! Tell me everything, how did this happen? When?"

"Mom, not now," Anna said, giving Will an apologetic look.

"We went out for the first time this past weekend," Will offered.

"Have you told your Mom yet?"

"Uh, yeah, she knows."

Will glanced at Anna, who caught his look. They shouldn't have done that. Sookie was watching them like a hawk.

"When did she find out?"

"Uh, you know. Recently," Will cringed.

"How recently?"

"She knew, before the date."

"She knew this weekend?!"

"Sook, calm down," Jackson soothed.

"But, we saw her! How could she not tell us?"

"Mom, calm down. We were trying to keep it under wraps," she informed her.

"From me? Why would you keep it from me?"

"We didn't want to get everyone excited until we were sure," she smiled at Will.

"And you're sure?"

"I am," she nodded.

"We are," Will interjected.

Sookie squealed again, and hugged them. "I have to call Lorelai!" she said before running back into the house.

"You guys want to try something now?" Jackson asked, hopeful.

Anna bit her lip to keep from laughing and patted her dad on the back.

&&&&

Ella had been wandering around town for hours. She had taken the opportunity to escape her grandmother's house for some alone time when she heard everyone leave for the diner. She roamed aimlessly, in and out of shops, hitting almost every place but Luke's. She knew it was likely that her family would be there the better part of the day, so she headed over to Weston's Bakery for coffee. She was sitting there when she saw Billy rush in.

His face was flushed pink, from the cold no doubt. He ordered hot chocolate, and turned to look out the window. That's when he saw her, and froze.

"Hey," she said, figuring there was no getting out of talking to him. She owed him that.

"Hey," he said, taking his drink from the cashier.

"Want to sit?"

"I guess so," he said moving over to stand next to her table.

"Please?"

He nodded and sat next to her at the table. He put his drink on the table and looked down at it.

"So, what have you been up to?" she asked, trying the small talk thing.

He looked up at her, and she saw the hurt in his eyes. It was obvious then and there that she needed to be much more direct. Not to mention honest. She swallowed hard, and tried to ease her bouncing foot.

"Sorry. I've been doing a lot of thinking," she began, glad to see his expression soften a little.

"I thought about what you said, about the whole no matter where I want to go, you'll be supportive. And that means more to me than you know."

He nodded. He wondered how long she would make him wait to address the other issue. He wasn't sorry he'd said it, but he couldn't help but feel a sting that his words weren't returned.

"And about the other thing, what you said to me," she put her hand on his tentatively, "It was amazing to hear you say that, but it took me completely by surprise."

"Oh, come on, Ella. After the road trip?"

"No one's ever said that to me before," she said quietly, withdrawing her hand.

"I've never said it to anyone before," he countered, feeling a little defensive.

"And I was so glad you said it, but I can't say it back. At least, not yet. Because I don't want to say it to you, unless I really mean it."

He nodded. He didn't like it, but she did make sense.

"I think I'm well on my way to saying it soon," she blurted out.

He looked up at her in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "I like you a lot, Billy. I've never had a steady boyfriend. I've dated a lot of guys, but never seriously. I've never felt like this," she smiled as he put his hand over hers and squeezed.

"So, how's the school decision going?"

"Still down to two."

"I've been looking into schools, the past day or so."

"Really?" her smile brightened.

"Yeah. I mean, there's still time for me to apply to some of the places I have a chance of getting into."

"I'm so glad," she encouraged.

He smiled back at her, enjoying the moment. The last day hadn't been his best, but it had made him think a lot more about preparing for his future. College couldn't be that bad, everyone else seemed to do it, and for the most part enjoy it. Not that he enjoyed the tension he'd felt, but maybe this was all going to work out for the best.

&&&&

Jess sat in the steam room, eyes closed and completely relaxed. Tristan came in, and sat a foot away from Jess, leaning back against the wall.

"Tell me you aren't relaxed."

"I'm relaxed."

"How was your massage?"

"Hot rocks are good," Jess managed.

Tristan smiled. "Told you."

"What's next?"

"Drinks. Then we should get home."

They'd eaten lunch, played basketball, taken showers, gotten massages and now they felt like Jell-O.

"We have to go home?"

"Hey, I like home. Besides, if I see another one of my old friends from high school sporting a receding hair line, I'm going to scream."

"Relax man, it's not in the water," Jess rolled his eyes.

"I know. It's just weird."

"Whatever."

"I'm ready for a drink."

"Fine."

Neither moved. Their eyes were closed.

"In like, five minutes?"

"Definitely."

&&&&

"You smell good," Rory pressed her face into Tristan's chest.

"I'm glad you approve," he chuckled.

"Where'd you guys go?"

"The club."

"You got Jess to the club?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So? It's Jess."

"We had a good time."

"Huh."

"What?"

"I just never would have pictured Jess enjoying the club."

"He needed to relax."

"You're such a sweet man," she cooed.

"Stop," he warned.

"Or what?"

"Or I won't let you smell me again."

She smiled and burrowed into him again, inhaling deeply. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sweet."

"Are too."

"You're the sweet one."

"So, what does that make you?"

"I'm the strong one."

"Ah. I forgot," she teased.

"Fine," he said, moving to scoop her up, and carried her over to the bed. They'd met up at their room in the Dragonfly before meeting everyone in the dining room downstairs for a late dinner. He dumped her down on the bed and pinned her easily. He held both her wrists with one hand, and kissed her neck.

She giggled and he nipped the same spot with his teeth.

She shivered.

"So, what do you say now?"

"You're my big, strong, sweet man," she giggled, causing him to groan and bury his head in her neck, increasing the likelihood of their being more than fashionably late for dinner.


	42. Chapter 42

AN: It's a long one. I hope you're all pleased. I've had a lot of inspiration for this story lately (not to mention time to write), and let me just tell you, the last part of this chapter was hard to write. Better times, for all, are ahead. I hope you all enjoy it.

December 23. He didn't have to look at a calendar, and he wasn't fortunate enough to have lost count of the days in the bustle of his busy life. Today he had to see Erin. He looked at his alarm clock, and deciding that he could sleep another half an hour, he rolled over. When he woke for the second time, Jules was to his right, eyes closed and under the covers. He marveled at the fact that he hadn't even stirred when she slipped into his room. Turning to face her, he prodded her shoulder gently.

"Come on, little girl, wake up," he coaxed.

"I'm awake," she whispered with still closed eyes.

"To what do I owe this early morning visit?"

She opened her eyes, those green eyes of hers boring into his. She most definitely had her mother's eyes. He'd never truly be able to get away from pieces of Erin.

"I'm not sure I want to see Mom," she admitted.

"Oh, Jules," he had no other words. He knew the feeling, and he hated the fact that his kids may end up how he'd felt in his teenage years. He would do his damnedest to make sure they knew their father was always there for them, no matter what happened.

"She isn't bringing that guy, is she?"

"No, she's not."

"Will you stay with us?"

"Well," he hesitated.

"Are we going to talk about the divorce?"

"Hey, hold up. It's Christmas."

She ceased her rapid-fire questioning and gave her father some reaction time.

"Your Mom and I haven't decided that is what is happening here. I will talk to her, and we'll work everything out together. You really want me to stick around during your visit?" he asked, smoothing her hair back.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Go get dressed. And make sure Am is up. Nicely," he added.

She left and he fell back against the bed.

"Great. Just great," he said aloud to no one.

&&&&

Will was trying to veg out in front of the television. He'd earned some down time, after the last few hectic days. He and Anna had been nearly inseparable—including dinner with her parents one night and his the next. Not that he was complaining.

However, Davey—home for the first time in days—was ruining his veg session. He moved randomly about the apartment, doing strange things. Finally, after he'd sat next to Will with a glass of water, and then gotten up yet again seconds later only to return with a soda, Will couldn't take it anymore. His friend had cracked.

"What's with you?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Thirsty?"

"Oh," he said, looking at the coffee table, "Geez. Okay, I'm a little preoccupied."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a lot on my mind."

"All right. Try not to hurt yourself."

Will tried to turn his attention away from his spacey friend and back to the mindless show, but Davey wasn't done.

"So, how's it going with you and Anna?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

Will looked back at Davey. "You don't want details here," Will assured him.

"It's been like a week!" Astonishment filled Dave's voice.

Will smiled. Dave did not. Will noted the displeasure on his friend's face.

"Relax—she came on to me."

Dave still didn't look pleased. If anything, just a little greener.

"I've known her all my life, you expected this to go slowly?"

"I expect you to respect my sister."

"I do."

Dave gave him another look.

"Hey, you've slept with your share of first dates, at least I waited for the second."

"You're right. I don't want details."

Will nodded. "So, what is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little preoccupied with some stuff."

"Worried Mal won't like her Christmas gift?"

Dave shrugged. "Something like that."

Will nodded again and both grew quiet, staring at the television.

&&&&

"I'm going out," Ella informed her parents as she stuck her head in their bedroom door.

"Wait!" Rory called.

"What?"

"Come in," Rory instructed.

It was only 10am, but she was all ready to head out, whereas her parents were still in bed. Though her mother's flushed collarbone and neck showed they hadn't just been sleeping before her knock.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"Vegas," she flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled.

"Ella."

"To Luke's, Mom."

"With Billy?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"Yes, but again to Luke's."

Rory nodded. She knew from Ella's upbeat mood the last couple of days that the two had smoothed things over. Now there was a whole new kind of fear: them being alone.

"Well, just be at Lorelai's by seven, we're all congregating there tonight," she said as her daughter began her escape.

Rory looked to Tristan, who had more been watching the exchange. Once Ella left, instead of resuming their prior activities, he spoke.

"I think she's made her decision."

"About school?"

He nodded. "Didn't you see how comfortable in her own skin she seemed? She'd been driving herself nuts for weeks."

"So, where is she going, Creskin?"

"I never claimed to be all-knowing."

"Yes, you did!" she pointed a finger at him.

"Was I sixteen?"

She nodded, giggling.

"And was I correct then?"

"That's not the point. You're contradicting yourself."

"Your memory? Far too good. When is that senile thing going to hit?"

She just shook her head in amusement as he pulled the covers up over their heads and invaded her side of the bed.

&&&&

"They really seem like they're in love!"

"Aww, Sook, I'm happy about this too, but we can't put that kind of pressure on them."

"It's not pressure, it's support."

"Just because they've slept together doesn't mean they're in love."

"They—they're what?"

"Oh. You didn't know," Lorelai cringed.

"You knew?"

"Well, they came into the diner, and it was just obvious from their body language. They went from being able to sit next to each other one day to not being able to pry themselves away at more than three junctures the next."

"I'm so stupid. Of course they are," Sookie thought back to having seen them. They had been rather touchy-feely the last few days. It'd been a long time since she'd experienced the beginning stages of a romance.

"Hey, wanna grab some lunch at Luke's?" Lorelai asked, trying to get Sookie's mind off her unfortunate revelation.

"Sure, let me go check something, and we'll go."

Sookie ran into the kitchen, and back out as Lorelai was pulling her jacket on. The two friends made their way through the snow and continued talking about the kids.

"Well, I still think they're in love. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we were related rather soon."

"Sookie, come on. It's been a week, or something."

"Well, you said they're already, well, you know, and if it's that fast," Sookie gestured out in front of her with her hands.

"What are you saying?"

"I just feel like one of my kids will be getting married soon. It's like I can feel it in my bones," she revealed.

"You feel your kid's marriage in your bones?"

"I do. It's like rain, or a motherly instinct."

"Rain?"

"You know for people with arthritis. Or you, with snow."

"Ah, I smell snow."

"Right. Well, then I smell marriage!" Sookie giggled.

"Oh, my," Lorelai stopped suddenly outside of the diner. She couldn't help but stare, and Sookie turned to see what had caught her friend so off-guard. There through the window of the diner, seated at a table, were Billy and Ella. Making out.

"I don't see where there is more than three separate junctures," Sookie said, rather concerned.

"Your son has his tongue in my granddaughter's mouth!" Lorelai exclaimed, covering her eyes with her hands.

"We need to stop this, right?"

"Right. Where is Luke at?"

"Good question!"

"Okay, we need to get in there. They are not stopping," Lorelai peeked through an opening in her fingers. "Ahh!"

"Yes, we—wait. You don't think that they would, do you?"

"Would what?" Lorelai asked.

"Get married. They're almost eighteen, they might go and impulsively run off?"

"No. Rory would kill Ella."

"Right," Sookie said, as she looked up. "Yeah, let' s go. No mother should have to witness this."

The two women marched into the diner, and stood in front of the kids' table, clearing their throats. The teens broke apart, both blushing quite furiously.

"Gramma."

"Mom."

"Kids, mind if we join you? No? Great!"

They sat and Luke came through from the back, noticing the group.

"Need to order?"

"Adult supervision? Why yes, we do!" Lorelai said gratefully.

"What?"

"What? Where were you? These two," she pointed at Ella and Billy, "Were just playing tonsil hockey for like five whole minutes in your diner."

"You what?" he asked the kids.

"Luke, we," Ella started, but Lorelai gave her a warning look. "Sorry."

"Just bring us food. Any food, and quick, we have to get back to the Inn," Lorelai waved Luke off, who was now glaring at Billy.

"And quit glaring at my kid!" Sookie added.

When Luke had retreated, Lorelai stood up. "I need to go to the bathroom. Ella, care to join me?"

Ella looked at Billy, then Sookie, who nodded. "Sure, Gramma."

They made their way up to the old apartment, and Lorelai closed the door.

"Okay, just to ease my mind a little, what was that?"

"We're dating. People who date usually kiss."

"Yes. Alone. On front porches or in cars. In a darkened theater. Not in a diner in the middle of the day! And not like that."

Ella looked down for a moment. "We got carried away. Please, don't mention this to Mom and Dad."

"Are you two having sex?"

"Gramma!"

"Els, it's me. You can tell me."

"No. And I've already talked to Mom about this."

"Well, good," she said, noting Ella's defensive posture. Her arms were crossed, and she was looking just past Lorelai's right ear. "I mean, I like Billy. And we're all happy you're dating. Just, take it slow. Please? For the sake of all of our old tickers?"

Ella smiled. "We are. Honestly, we were just kissing."

"Yeah, well, that's how it all starts, kid."

Ella nodded. "And you won't mention it?"

"No. I like Billy, and we wouldn't want your father to castrate him."

"No, we wouldn't," she agreed. The two linked arms and made their way back downstairs, where Luke was putting food down on their table and glaring at Billy again.

"Down, boy," Lorelai whispered into Luke's ear.

&&&&

Jess pulled the car to a stop a block away from his in-laws house. Ambrose looked up from his book, and stared at his father.

"What's wrong? It's just up there."

"I know. I just want to make sure you guys know the ground rules."

Both kids were riveted to his words. "I called your Mom earlier, and I told her you wanted to know what was going on with us, and that you wanted me around. So, here's the deal. Even though it's Christmas, we're all going to sit down and have a long talk about our family situation. Then, after dinner, I'm going to drop you all off here to have some alone time with her, at her request, then I'll pick you up to take us home. Any questions?"

Both shook their heads.

"All right," he nodded, putting the car back into gear and finishing the last block of the drive. Erin was waiting on the porch, he knew to avoid a confrontation between him and her parents. At least she was considerate in that respect. He looked at her as she walked to the car. She looked like his wife, but there was something different about her. Something intangible. She slid into the backseat next to Jules, shivering from the cold.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hey."

"So, we're off to dinner?"

"We are. How are your folks?"

"Oh, the same. Mom's got the house overly decorated, the usual. Oh, your Aunt Heather is here," she said, turning to Jules.

"Great."

"She brought you guys tons of gifts, so you'll have a lot of present opening to do tonight."

It was weird, how chatty she was being. Not that her conversation was abnormal—she was just talking to the kids as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't been freezing him out for the last few months. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, and he maneuvered the car as if on autopilot towards one of their favorite restaurants in Boston. Soon to be on his never-visit-again list. He wished that list wasn't getting so long.

Once the family was seated, at a fairly private booth in the back, Erin cleared her throat. She looked to Jess, who sat at her side.

"Do you want to start?"

"Go ahead. They know all I know."

"Right. This really isn't easy," she said, he supposed to herself, because at this rate he didn't give a fuck. He knew what she was going to say, and he prepared himself to hear the words come out of her mouth. The same mouth that had repeated wedding vows happily and with promise to him so many years ago. He looked down at her hand, noticing her left ring finger was bare. He smoothed his thumb over the cool metal of his own still in place ring.

"I've decided to stay in California."

Yep, those were the words he'd been trying to prep himself for. The ones met with the shock of her actually saying them. No one else spoke.

"Jess?"

"What?"

"You don't have anything to say?"

"In front of the kids? No."

"Dad, you said you were going to be honest," Ambrose reminded him.

"Fine, when you're 21, I'll honestly tell you the words that are running through my mind."

"Jess, come on. I know you're angry with me, but I think this is for the best. We can both move on."

"I'm sorry, move on from what? If you want to get away from me, fine, but don't act like you're doing anything other than what you're doing—you're walking out on your family."

Jules was tearing up, as was Erin. Ambrose grabbed his sister's hand under the table, trying to provide some reality for her to hold on to.

"I'm not walking out on them!" she said in a low, harsh tone to Jess. She turned towards her kids, who were valiantly trying not to crumble while watching the final demise of their parents' marriage, "You guys are welcome to come to California."

"We don't have to, do we?" Jules words were aimed at her father.

"No, you don't have to."

"You'll come see me sometimes, we'll have joint custody," Erin interjected.

"I don't want to go, either," Ambrose spoke up.

"Not even to visit?" Erin asked.

"Nope."

"You've been coaching them, great," Erin crossed her arms, looking at Jess.

"Bullshit, Erin, all I told them was that they didn't have to do anything they didn't want to do. That this was going to be as easy as possible for them. How is having to travel back and forth to California going to be easy for them?"

"Look, why don't we discuss this later, when we're calmer."

"Fine. Let's just eat."

"I'm not hungry," Jules said softly.

"You have to eat something," Jess instructed, giving Erin a 'see what you've done' look. "At least order. You can pick at it."

"Fine."

The table was silent until the waiter came. He was given short orders and left. The tension filled the air around their table. Jess felt like he was coming out of his skin, and couldn't wait to get out of there. By the time he dropped them off at the house, both kids looking miserable, but having to see their grandparents, he barely got the car out of the driveway before he shut the ignition off again. Again, he traced the ring around his ring finger, before grasping it with his right thumb and index finger, slipping it off for the first time since his wedding. He opened the glove box and placed it inside. He saw his cell phone sitting in the compartment and pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Gwen? It's Jess."


	43. Chapter 43

AN: thanks for the wonderful reviews! This chapter hopefully has some wrap up of the whole nasty Jess/Erin situation, and I've got a few more story lines to wrap up, so a few more chapters. . . This particular chapter begins where the last one left off. Enjoy!

"Jess, hi. This is a surprise."

"Is it all right that I. . .?"

"Oh, yeah. It's fine, I just didn't expect—are you okay?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have," he began to backpedal.

"No, really, it's fine. What's wrong?"

"I just dropped the kids off with their mom."

"Oh, man."

"We all had dinner together, and she announced that it's over. She's staying in California, for good."

Gwen sat in silence, listening and waiting. She could hear the pain in his voice. She knew even though you know it's over, it's always hard to hear it vocalized. She couldn't even imagine what it must be like to have to watch your kids go through that as well.

"I don't mean to lay all this on you, I didn't think."

"How are the kids?"

He almost smiled, it was like she knew. "I can't even describe the looks on their faces. I shouldn't have made them go in there, they're so angry."

"Hey, that's her problem. They know you're doing your best. Kids are smart like that."

"Thanks."

"So, you're all alone?"

"Yeah."

"Where at?"

"Boston."

"Oh. Guess I can't meet you somewhere then."

"I'm fine. I just have two hours to kill."

"I'm so sorry. You don't deserve all this."

"I'm going to be okay." It was the first time he said it that didn't feel and sound like a lie.

"Well, Merry Christmas."

He smiled. "Merry Christmas," he paused, "I'm still going to call when I get back to New York."

"You better."

"Good night, Gwen."

"Night, Jess."

He shut his phone and looked up. Her parents' house was still there, a beacon of reality. He put the car in gear and drove away.

&&&&

"Hey," he held the door open for her.

"Hey," Anna kissed his cheek on her way past him. "Is Dave here?"

Her hand now playfully on his chest, he wished his roommate was gone. "In his room."

"Darn," she crinkled her nose.

"Have you talked to him recently?"

"No, why?"

"He's acting . . . funny."

"Like the time Jimmy Banks dared him to eat those mystery berries off the bush behind his house?"

"No," he laughed, "Spacey, preoccupied."

"Did he and Mallory split up?"

Will considered this. "I don't think so, he's been gone three straight days, and he's not mopey."

"I remember the privacy of the last few days," she smiled, thinking of the good use she and Will had put the time alone to. "I was hoping he'd be gone again tonight."

Will smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around him, and they stumbled to the couch.

"Geez!"

Will looked up over the arm of the couch, Anna nestled under him. "Oh, hey. You look like crap," he informed his roommate. He also sat up, earning a sigh from Anna as she did the same.

"Do you guys have to do _that _right here?"

"What's wrong?"

"Other than the need to gouge my eyes out?"

"Yes," she sighed at his dramatic tone.

"I'm tired. Mallory's stressed out . . . Bree's moving out, and she needs another roommate to make rent."

"Oh, right," Will nodded.

"You knew?"

"We ran into Bree," Will cringed.

"Oh," Dave looked at the pair, curious as to how that went. "Anyway, I've been trying to help her look for cheaper places and stuff."

"Wanna just relax with us and watch a movie?" Anna offered.

"You guys really don't mind?"

"Of course not," Will agreed. "But keep your eyes on the screen," he warned.

Dave winced, and Anna smiled as she moved to pop a movie into the player.

&&&&

It'd grown colder in the last few hours, though part of him believed it was colder around this house in all seasons. His in-laws (soon to be former as it may be) had never really grown on him, and he dreaded the very sight of the house. It'd always made Erin tense and crazy, and him by extension. He pressed the doorbell and wiggled his toes in his socks to keep his circulation going in his extremities.

"Oh, hey, Jess."

"Heather," he nodded, addressing Erin's youngest sister.

She slipped out onto the porch, and pulled the door closed behind her. "We all know now, I'm so sorry," she put her hand on his arm.

He looked down. He didn't want her pity, just to pick up his kids. "Thanks. The kids ready?"

"Yeah. You want to come in?" she asked politely, but already knowing the answer.

He shook his head, despite his nearly chattering teeth. She nodded and disappeared into the house again. The next time the door opened, his kids appeared, with Erin behind them, their arms loaded with gifts.

"Here, take the keys," he stuffed the keys into Ambrose's hand. "I'll be right there."

The kids said goodbye again to Erin, then headed out to the car. He turned to face her.

"I'll get our lawyer to draw up the papers when I get back home," he announced.

"I'm so sorry, Jess," she barely spoke above a whisper.

"We should go. It's late."

"Jess," she reached out to touch his cheek.

He froze, looking at her for a moment.

"We should go, it's late."

"I told them I'd call, and visit as soon as I can."

"That's between the three of you."

She nodded. "Okay."

He wanted to have some great parting line, akin to 'Have a nice life,' but nothing seemed to fit. She was a part of him, only now she wouldn't be there. They looked at each other for a beat, then he turned and walked away, leaving her on the porch to watch as they drove off into the night.

&&&&

After getting the kids secured in their rooms, Jess traveled wearily to his. On the door he found a note taped in place.

"Hot chocolate & Cookies."

It was written in Rory's handwriting. He grabbed the note and headed back down the stairs. It was late, nearly midnight, by the time he opened Luke and Lorelai's front door. They'd obviously sent everyone else home much earlier, but Luke, Lorelai, Tristan, and Rory sat in the living room with the aforementioned treats.

Lorelai jumped up, pulling him over and down between her and Rory on the couch. He shrugged off his coat off.

"You guys didn't have to wait up," he insisted.

"You say that as if we had a choice," Tristan retorted, giving Jess a smile.

"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But we're all here," Lorelai said, ignoring Tristan.

"It's over."

It was all he needed to say. He felt Rory's arm slip under his, and Lorelai's as she rubbed his other shoulder softly. He knew instantly that they were thinking of Jules and Ambrose, as was he.

"You need anything?" Luke asked.

"Nah. I'm okay."

Tristan wondered how much of that statement was true. He knew this wasn't unexpected, but the guy looked as though he'd pushed his car back from Boston.

"You want us to take the kids in the morning?" he offered.

"I should really be there," he started, but Rory cut him off.

"You should really get some rest. Meet us for lunch at Luke's. We'll get the kids up and started."

He nodded numbly. This was his family, and he just had to let them take care of him. He listened as they filled him in on the day's events. He laughed as Lorelai let slip her having seen Billy and Ella at Luke's—and at the look of sheer panic on Rory and Tristan's faces. Luke offered to install a strong dead bolt on Ella's bedroom door, and everything seemed normal for a moment. They all talked for a while longer, but less than an hour passed before he left with Tristan and Rory, as they drove back in the light snowfall to the Inn.

&&&&

Ella bounced onto Jules' bed fairly early the next morning. Jules groaned and pulled the covers down to see who was assaulting her warm cocoon. When she saw Ella, she frowned.

"What?"

"Get up and come downstairs."

"I'm tired," she said, pulling the covers back up.

"Sookie made us all breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

Ella looked at her empathetically. "It's Christmas Eve, and it's tradition. And you love Sookie's French toast. She shaped the sticks into snowmen, and everything."

"You know, right?" Jules pulled the covers down from over her head and looked seriously at Ella.

Ella nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "Mom told us just now. Jake went to get Ambrose."

Jules nodded. She should have figured that Rory would have had all the details of how to take care of all of them figured out.

"How was it, seeing your mom?"

"I was just so mad, I mean, I still love her, but I hate her so much right now."

Ella crawled up and sat next to Jules, drawing her legs up to her chest. They sat like this, leaning together in silence.

&&&&

Jake knocked on the door, but got no response. He knocked again, and tried the door handle. It gave, and as he opened the door he saw Ambrose in bed, but reading with headphones on his ears. At the movement across the room, he looked up and pulled the earphones off.

"Hey."

"Morning. I was going to breakfast, you wanna come?"

Ambrose shrugged. He had dark circles under his eyes, and didn't appear to have slept.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"There's nothing to say—they're getting divorced. Mom's staying in California, with some man we've never met."

Jake nodded.

"Is Jules up?"

"I haven't seen her, but Ella was supposed to get her."

"She's not eating, have you noticed that?"

"Yeah. Does your dad know?"

"I think so. Does she talk to you about this stuff?"

"She has. About your parents, anyway."

"She won't talk to me about it."

"She'll get through it. She's stronger than she lets on."

"Yeah," Ambrose agreed. "I just want to kill her."

Jake knew he was talking about his mother. "I don't blame you."

"What about Dad? Is he up and around?"

"Mom said they're going to let him sleep in. She said he hasn't been sleeping."

"He hasn't." Ambrose seemed to be thinking for a moment, then swung his legs out of bed and grabbed his jeans, sliding them on. He grabbed a t-shirt and moved towards the door as he pulled it over his head.

"Come on, Jules might need more coaxing to get her downstairs this morning."

&&&&

The boys stood in the open doorway, looking in on their sisters. They were seated side-by-side on the bed, neither seemed to be talking. Jake cleared his throat, capturing their attention.

"The food will get cold if we don't get down there," he declared.

"Or worse, Mom and Gramma will finish it off before we get there," Ella added, nudging Jules.

"Have you seen Dad?" came Jules' question of Ambrose, ignoring the talk of food.

"He's sleeping in this morning."

"Oh."

"But we have a lot to do this morning, so come on, get the lead out."

Jules sighed, but nodded. "We'll be right down."

The boys nodded and headed out to let the girls get ready. They joined the crowd, promising that the girls were on their way.

&&&&

Rory poked her head into Jess' room, using the master key that Lorelai had provided her. She'd been up for hours, fueled solely by coffee and Tristan's unending supply of energy. He woke just before their alarm went off, and made sure that she woke with a smile on her face. They'd gone into the kids' rooms shortly after to explain what was going on and what they wanted them to do. She then sent Tristan downstairs to breakfast and slipped down the hall to Jess' room alone.

He was completely tangled in the sheets, but seemingly sleeping quite peacefully now. She was glad, as she could tell that he hadn't been sleeping much, if at all, recently. Her motherly instinct kicking in, she tidied up a bit; pulling the drapes closed on the windows, straightening and pulling the sheet and blanket up over his chest. She grabbed the "No Maid Service" card from his bedside table and quietly exited, going to join everyone else for breakfast.


	44. Chapter 44

AN: Started this chapter, but had some block earlier—wrapping it up is hard! I don't want it to end, but sadly, it will and soon. Oh, and before I forget, I need a volunteer to beta a new Trory I'll be writing for an exchange. It will get racy, so if that bothers you, don't volunteer. It also means I probably won't be able to post it here, but I'll have the link up on my website when it's all finished (sometime in March). Anyone interested in beta-ing for me, just email me. Back to the story!

The whole town had gathered in the square. The tree seemed to be overloaded with homemade ornaments, mainly from decades of elementary school students' handiwork, and thousands of lights. The skies were overcast, and there was snow forecasted for this evening. People milled about, drinking hot cider, coffee, and hot chocolate, visiting with others, and enjoying the carolers and bell ringers on the gazebo.

The whole family had gotten all their last minute shopping done early this morning, and met up with Jess, Luke, and Jackson (the latter two who never attend the annual mall trip) at the diner for lunch. Each year, since all the kids were very small, the parents swapped children, in order to give the kids and opportunity to buy for their parents. Sookie and Lorelai took Jules, Ambrose, Jake, and Ella, leaving Rory and Tristan with just Lia and Billy this year. In years past, Jess and Erin had joined them, and they'd also had Will, Anna, and Davey in tow. Lorelai, who had insisted they continue the tradition this year to provide the stability to help even out all the upheaval the families were feeling, declared this year's trip a success.

Will came up to Lorelai and Luke, who were warming themselves by the bonfire. He hugged his mom and warmed his hands at the fire as well.

"Am I still welcome over tonight?"

"Hey, I haven't turned your bedroom into a sewing room, yet," Lorelai said. "Though that is an idea—I could make your dad some shirts that aren't flannel."

"Or you could just work with flannel," Luke suggested.

"So, you want to sleep at home tonight?" Lorelai asked, ignoring Luke's comment.

"It is Christmas," Will said.

"True, but I thought you might want to spend it with a special someone."

"She's staying at Sookie's," he blushed.

"Aw, you look happy," she nudged him.

"Lorelai, stop embarrassing him," Luke shook his head.

"I'm not, I'm his mother, and I'm allowed to say he looks happy."

"I am happy. And I want to thank you both, for not making a huge deal out of this."

"But, it is," she urged half asking.

"Lorelai," Luke warned.

"It's okay, Dad. It is sort of a big deal."

Lorelai squealed happily, but said nothing.

&&&&

Ella stood in line to get coffee, and tried to warm her hands up that had grown cold even through her warm gloves. She was hoping the coffee would do the trick. She felt someone come up behind her and wrap their arms around her waist, and her back nestled into something warm and solid.

"Hey, make that two," he said to the person behind the table. "How are you?"

"Cold. How much longer 'til the tree lighting?"

He checked his watch as they grabbed their coffees. "An hour."

"Man, I love the tree lighting, but seriously, we could be waiting in Luke's, couldn't we?"

"Don't worry. If the coffee doesn't do the trick, I'll keep you warm."

"Hmm. I like that," she smiled, looking up into his eyes. "So, was my Dad too evil earlier?"

"Well, I was pretty nervous before we left."

"You don't say, you know, the comment about how it was good that you would be in a crowded mall with witnesses didn't give that away," she teased.

"Actually, we had a chat today."

"Uh-oh," she winced.

"Your mom and Lia went into some make-up store," he started, and she smiled, "So, we hit one of those knife stores. He asked me if I got you jewelry for Christmas."

"Ooh, did you?"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

"You told my dad, but not me?"

"He asked, and he still scares me a little, okay?"

She nodded and giggled. "Go on."

"Anyway, he asked me basically what my intentions were with you, and I told him that we were just dating, but that I loved you, and that it was going well."

"And he said?"

"That he and your mom have known me all my life, and they like me. Oh, and that he'd kill me if I ever did anything to make you cry."

"Nice touch, he has."

"Very. And the effect is magnified in a knife store."

"At least it wasn't a gun shop."

"Don't need a permit for a knife," he reminded.

"My dad is good," she nodded, realizing the true genius at work here.

Billy nodded and put his arm around her as they tried to get warmer by the large fire.

&&&&

Lia, Jules, Ambrose, and Jake were working on the 'Build your own Snow Castle' on the other side of the town square from the fire. They were determined to win this year, as they'd come in a close second last year.

"It's still missing something," Ambrose said, stepping back and looking over their nearly finished castle.

"A mote?"

"There's no water."

"It'll be precautionary, incase of warmer weather," Jake joked.

"We could buff it," Jules suggested.

"With what and why?"

"To make it shiny?"

"How many shiny castles have you seen?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"The one at Disney World is pretty shiny," Lia offered.

"We could add another tower on that end, to sort of give it more balance," Jake suggested.

Ambrose looked at it with scrutiny. "Yeah, that might help."

They went back to work, packing down snow, and lumping it up to form another base. The work was getting their knees a little wet, despite the mats that were provided, but it was keeping them busy and warm.

"So, is Jess really going on another date with that woman from the diner?" Lia asked.

"He called her last night. I heard him talk to Mom about it," Jake nodded.

Jules and Ambrose shared a look.

"Oh, hey, sorry. Should we not. . .?" Jake began, looking at the two.

"No, it's okay. Dad told us after lunch that he planned on being in contact with this woman, and that if it got serious, we'd meet her."

"At least maybe it'll help him get through it, to know he can move on," Lia offered.

Jules nodded. "He deserves that."

The continued working until they were satisfied, luckily finishing minutes before the judges blew their whistles, indicating that the time was up. They moved off to the side, collecting their complimentary hot chocolates and awaiting the judges' decisions.

&&&&

"So, you were completely nice to him?" Jess asked, still not quite believing it. He wasn't alone; Rory was looking rather skeptical as well.

"Am I evil, did I miss something?"

"Uh, yes, when it comes to boys that like your daughter," Rory continued to look at him.

"Look, she told you about the whole love thing, I realized that if I continued with the crazy over-protective act, she might rebel and rush into things she wasn't ready for, so I figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"What?" Jess asked, not quite getting what Tristan meant.

"I just figured that if I made it really obvious that I approve, it might take away some of the 'immediacy' of it all."

Rory giggled, and patted her husband on the shoulder.

"What?"

"No, it's smart. Very smart."

He looked at her, bothered by her amusement.

"And very mature."

"What?"

"Look, man, if they're really hot for each other and they think you think it's fine, what's stopping them from having sex?" Jess asked.

Tristan looked to Rory, who nodded. "I certainly felt no qualms when I first had sex, 'cause Mom had been so cool about it. I even called her afterwards, when you fell asleep," she added.

"Damn it," he said, taking his arm out from around Rory's waist, and walking off.

"Where are you going?" she cried out after him.

"To talk to Luke."

"Why?"

"He'll get me back in the scare-the-hell-out of them game."

Rory rolled her eyes and took another drink of coffee as Tristan went off in search of sage words. She watched the fire crackle for a moment, then turned to survey the snow-castle judging. Next to it, they were judging for 'Best Snow Angel'. She loved this time of year, there were so many great things to do with snow.

"Think they'll win this year?"

"Hands down. They've had the most practice," Jess stated assuredly.

"Every year."

He nodded, and shifted his weight a few times, trying to keep moving.

"They doing okay?" she asked, watching as the four were laughing at something Ambrose had said.

"Yeah. I told them about my plans to call Gwen."

"And you took your ring off," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it was time."

"Yeah."

"But they seem really supportive. I know they're taking pity on me, trying to hide their anger from me," he said.

"Maybe they should see a counselor or something," Rory suggested.

"Maybe. I don't think Jules has been eating. Look at her," he said.

"She does look thin, but hopefully that's just temporary. I don't eat when I'm stressed."

He nodded. "She doesn't need anymore problems to sort through."

"You've got great kids. They're going to be fine."

"Yeah. I know."

"And so will you."

"Well, I do seem to have elves watching over me," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, yeah, now that sounds like fun!"

"You broke into my room this morning to take care of me, didn't you?"

"I snuck in," she corrected.

He shook his head. Tristan rejoined them at that point, looking happier. Rory looked up at him questioningly.

"I feel much better now."

"Good, now make him feel better."

Tristan smirked. "Well, he could try to walk in on your mom again," he snickered.

"Okay, you two need some alone time," Jess announced, walking towards the castle area, leaving them enjoying his embarrassment.

&&&&

"Hey, where'd Dave go?" Anna asked, running up to Will, who handed her some hot cider.

"He went to pick up Mallory. They're spending tonight at the apartment. Her family went to Vail for Christmas this year, but with her looking for a new place before the semester starts, she stayed behind."

"So, you're at your parents?"

"Yeah, why, planning a late night visit?"

"I don't know, have you been a good boy?" she asked, smiling seductively at him.

"I'll be in a really tiny single bed."

"Oh, fine. You win. I won't come visit."

"I don't call that winning, per say, but I'll come over tomorrow after we do presents with the family," he promised.

"Nah, we're all heading over to you, didn't you hear?"

"Nope. But then again, I don't try to keep up with all of Mom's plans. I just go where instructed."

"It is a full-time job."

"Not even Dad can keep up with it all."

"He seems to do a pretty good job."

"Yeah, well, years of practice," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "So, what are you doing for New Years' Eve?"

"Well, for 21 years, I've spent it at your folks' house. But this year, I was thinking I'd finally tackle Times Square."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, well, you know how I love being a sardine."

"Right. So, persuading you to be my date and kiss me at midnight would take what?"

"Hmm. Something shiny tomorrow?"

He smiled. He couldn't wait to give her the present he'd picked out for her—well, both of them, as he didn't bother taking back the book he'd originally picked out for her. He liked her style, though. He could never blame a girl for trying.

"You should keep that dream alive," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her. He pulled back and held her close to him as he looked into her eyes. She looked so happy, her cheeks pink from the cold, and a knit cap pulled down over her forehead. He continued to study her face, and said nothing for an elongated beat.

When he continued to look at her so seriously, she felt a little uneasy. "Hey, I was just kidding about the something shiny," she said lightly. "You okay?"

"I love you."

She felt her knees give a little, and was very glad he was already wrapped around her. She continued to look into his eyes, and grabbed onto his arm with her free hand.

"I love you, too," her voice came out in a whisper, much as his had. He leaned in to kiss her again, and they heard the voice coming over a loudspeaker, announcing just five minutes left until the tree lighting, and the winners of the snow contests. They both heard the familiar names for the winners of the snow castle contest, and they pulled themselves out of their personal moment to join the growing group of family, as they congregated to watch the tree light up together.


	45. Chapter 45

Luke was attempting to gather the remains of discarded wrapping paper and bows that had been long since forgotten as the contents of the previously pretty packages were now removed. The whole process would just start all over again in another hour when the Melville's arrived to celebrate with them, but the least he could do was make room for everyone to discard more trash. Lorelai came in from the kitchen where everyone was eating, now wearing a necklace made of ribbon and bows.

"Whatcha' doing?"

"Making room for the next wave."

"You're throwing away perfectly good bows and ribbon!"

"You say that every year."

"Because you try this every year."

"The bows aren't sticky anymore, and the ribbon is cut and used."

"Hence the magic that is scotch tape," she rolled her eyes. "And the ribbon can be made into new bows."

"You're like Martha Stewart with a kitchen aversion."

"Aw, the compliments are never-ending."

"Fine. Pick through the trash," he gave up, handing over the bag.

"Ah, rifling through the trash. You know how to give a girl a good time," she winked as he walked away. "Where are you going?"

"To eat. I need to keep up my strength," he smiled sweetly at her, kissing the side of her head as he made his way into the kitchen.

-

"So, you like your present?" Tristan asked, leaning in to inspect for himself.

"I love them," she put a finger up to one earlobe, feeling the diamond stud that had found its new home.

"Good. Oh, by the way, I forgot to give you one of your gifts."

She looked up at him, wondering what he was up to. "Tristan, these were more than enough."

He smiled and motioned for her to follow him. Ella and Jake shared a 'gag me' look as their parents exited into the family room.

"Seriously, it's something small, right? 'Cause these are too much."

"Technically, yes, what I have to show you is small," he tilted his head, considering his words.

"Tristan," she looked around. "I don't see anything for me left."

"Lift up the skirt," he instructed, pointing to the tree.

She immediately moved the skirt, earning a 'dirty' from her mother, who was still milling about collecting bows. Rory extracted a manila envelope from underneath, and looked to her husband. He nodded. Opening the envelope, she scanned the document and squealed. In fact, her joy was so loud, it brought her kids in from the kitchen.

"Ohmygod! Tristan, this is. . . but how did you?"

"The old bat kicked off two months ago, and her only son lives in L.A. Couldn't wait to sell the place, either, hates the East Coast. I would've told you, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It's ours?"

"It's ours, completely. Finally."

"Mom, what is it?" Ella asked, looking to look over the papers her mother had in her hand. Lorelai moved in on the other side, looking as well.

"Grandma and Grandpa's beach house at the Vineyard, the one they started leasing after we got married; well, after Grandma died, we took over the lease payments. We tried to buy it, but evidently Grandpa had tried several times, as well. Mrs. Hodgett wouldn't sell. It'd been in her family since the 1800s or something. She was really adamant about keeping it in her family."

"So, now it's officially in our family."

"Oh, that's so great! But if she still owned it, why was she leasing it?" Lorelai asked, not fully understanding.

"She's been in a nursing home for years—she was almost a hundred year old, and she'd started to have trouble getting around on her own, then had lots of health problems after a stroke, years ago," Rory looked to Tristan, who nodded.

"And mean. For a proper old society woman, she had a mouth like a sailor," he laughed.

"But now it's ours!" Rory jumped up and down.

"Merry Christmas," he said, as she fell into his arms, still clutching the deed.

-

Present opening commenced yet again, now with a larger group packed into the living room. Rory watched happily at Tristan's side as Ella and Billy exchanged their gifts. Lorelai and Sookie's attentions were caught when Anna opened a long, thin, velvet box containing a beautiful emerald necklace. She gasped and looked to Will, who was smiling at her.

"You so did not do this," she whispered in disbelief.

"You don't like it?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"So, try it on."

She smiled back and cautiously extracted the delicate necklace from its box.

"Are you crying?" Luke leaned in, as Lorelai watched Will and Anna.

"No," she lied.

"It's not even you getting the jewelry," he pointed out.

"We'll get to that later, mister," she sniffed.

"Can I get everyone's attention?"

The group quieted and all eyes moved to Dave, who stood in the center of the room, directly in front of Mallory. She'd been admiring Anna's necklace just a second prior to hearing Dave's voice rise above everyone else's.

"Wow. That was unusually effective," he smiled. "I thought I'd need a bullhorn with this group," he joked. He felt all eyes in the room on him, but he settled his gaze on Mallory.

"There's something I'd like to ask you."

Her mouth fell open a little, and she raised her hand to her face, pressing two fingers to her lips. She wasn't one to embarrass easily, but she could feel the heat running up her spine.

"Mal, I love you. I've been watching you go crazy over this whole apartment thing, and it occurred to me that perhaps I should move in with you, to take care of the mess that you've been left with," he started, and she looked at him, surprised. "But I thought about it. I don't want us to move in together because it's a solution to a problem. Besides, neither of us likes that apartment."

She smiled, now not quite sure where he was going, or why he was having this conversation here and now.

"We should move in together because I don't want to leave you at the end of the day, and I love seeing you after a long day at work. I love your laugh and the way you push your hair back with your pen while you study. I love that you can't stand to have the television on when you're reading, but you have to have the stereo on so it's not too quiet."

He took a breath, and moved closer to her. The whole room watched, unable to peel their eyes away.

"That made me think, why just move in somewhere together? That's not what I really want. I want to marry you, Mal. Will you marry me?"

Silence filled the crowded room, everyone waited on her reaction. Dave was kneeled down in front of her now, looking into her eyes.

"Yes, I will."

The girls cried, the boys congratulated—glad for the mushy tension to be over with. Sookie hugged Lorelai after she had squeezed the air out of Dave and Mallory.

"See? I told you, I could feel it!"

"You were right, except for the 'who' part," Lorelai nodded.

Luke leaned in, "Who did she think it was?"

"Oh, either Will and Anna, or Billy and Ella," she replied, like it was no big deal.

"WHAT?" Rory, Tristan, and Luke asked, looking at Sookie.

"So, I was a little off. Who wants champagne?" she asked, and then turned to Luke. "Where do you keep your champagne?"

"At the villa," he rolled his eyes.

"Who wants eggnog?" she asked, moving towards the kitchen.

-

Rory slipped out onto the porch with two mugs of eggnog. She handed one to Tristan, who'd slipped out from the madness that was ensuing in the house.

"To it not being our under-aged daughter," she raised her mug with a smile.

"Perish the thought," he clinked his mug to hers.

"Hey, guys, can you come back inside?" Ella stuck her head out the front door.

They looked up and nodded. He slipped an arm around Rory's waist as they moved back into the house. "This better be about college, or I'm chaining her to her bed when we get home," he whispered into Rory's ear, causing her to laugh.

Ella now stood in front of the group, much as Dave had just done minutes before. She paused, enjoying standing in front of a crowd and looked around before settling her gaze on her parents.

"Since everyone is here, and announcements are being made, I wanted to tell you all that I've come to a decision recently." She paused for dramatic effect, learning all her skills from her father. "I've decided to go to Yale."

"Oh thank God," Rory said under her breath, so only Tristan could hear. She rushed Ella, throwing her arms around her.

"You're not just doing this for me, are you?" she whispered into her daughter's ear.

"Never," Ella giggled.

"That's my girl!" she squeezed her before turning her over to Tristan.

"I'm proud of you kid. You sure about this?"

"Positive. Thank you, Dad."

"If I let go of you, are you going to hug that boyfriend of yours?" he asked.

"Yes, Daddy."

He held on to her, easily holding her in place. "Daddy, put me down!" she commanded, laughing.

Reluctantly, he let go of her and she moved over to hug Billy.

"So, when did you decide?" he asked, looking at her, obviously happy.

"A couple of days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to be sure."

"And you're sure, you'll be in New Haven?"

She nodded, and he hugged her again.

-

That evening, Will sat in his living room, thinking about the changes that were going to happen over the next few months. He would graduate from college, just before Ella started. His roommate would be moving out and getting married.

"Hey."

And then of course, there was Anna.

"Hey, back."

"So, big day."

"Big day."

"Did you know about any of it?"

"I knew I was getting you the necklace. And I figured Mom would cry."

"I meant about Dave."

"Nope. No clue."

"Me either. Mom is through the roof happy."

She slipped into his lap, and played with her necklace a little. Her hands had been wandering to it all day, feeling it against her sternum.

"You like that, huh?"

"I love it. So much so that I won't point out that you spent way too much money."

"Good. I like my women agreeable."

She shook her head, and leaned it against his shoulder. "So, Rory's happy about Ella choosing Yale, huh?"

"Not a big surprise. She's been brainwashed since before she was born."

"But she wants to go there, right?"

"Yeah, she does. She will fit right in."

"You should know," Anna sighed happily.

"So, I think I'm going to keep this apartment," he said, looking around.

"It is a good apartment."

"Big for one person," he sighed.

Anna was quiet. She wasn't quite sure if he was going somewhere with this. He rubbed her arm with his hand lightly.

"Don't you think so?"

"I guess. I mean, it's two bedrooms."

"Might make one an office."

"I can help you decorate."

"I'd appreciate that."

She snuggled into him further, sure this tangent was over with. After all, Dave hadn't officially made plans to move out yet. Everything was still up in the air, everyone was just thinking out loud.

"So, can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

She was now almost certain this man could read her mind. It was unnerving.

"Yeah."

"What would you think, if when Dave moved out, you moved in?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting."

"Moving in is interesting, you mean?"

"Seriously?"

He sat up, and looked down into her eyes. She sat up, turning to straddle his lap, and slipped her arms around his neck. He smiled, and nodded.

"Well, in that case, I guess I have a few questions."

"All right. Shoot."

"Do you leave towels on the bathroom floor?"

"Nope," he crossed his fingers over his heart, and she giggled.

"You don't secretly send your laundry home to your mother, do you?"

"No, I don't like to have pink underwear," he said seriously.

"And your intentions, are they honorable?"

"Completely."

She leaned in and took his face in her hands. He looked at her mouth before catching her eye as she kissed him. She felt like she was floating, as she melted into him.

-

"What a day," Rory groaned, collapsing back onto the bed.

"You sound unhappy."

"No, quite the opposite, actually."

"So, what's with the groan?"

"Dramatic effect. You're rubbing off on me," she smiled.

"I'd like to," he winked at her, lying down next to her.

"Our baby's going to Yale," she purred, curling up on him.

"I heard. My ears aren't the only thing on this body that are in excellent working condition, you know," he said, running his hand down the gentle curve of her torso. She was on her side, her hand resting on his chest.

"There's so much to get ready for, lots of graduations, and a wedding—not to mention taking Ella shopping for all her dorm stuff."

"Rory," he drew her name out, in an almost lyrical manner.

"Yeah?" she smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"Shut up and kiss me," he requested. She moved up to oblige the request, kissing him with the same intensity that always drove their every touch.

Their life in this moment was perfect. It was full of change, the one true constant. Their family was growing and expanding around them, and the future was wide open. Anything seemed possible. Their future together grew increasingly more solid every day, with every moment they spent together, with every breath they took.

What they truly knew was that for them, the future held each other.

**The end. **

**Author's Ramblings: I would love to thank every single person who supported this whole trilogy, starting from the very beginning, egging me on to do more and more—I can't believe all that came out of my first Trory. There are too many of you to name singly, so know you rock and I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter. **

**(Waves and closes curtain)**


End file.
